Everton seeking answers from French authorities

, 28 October, 2comments  |  Jump to most recent

Everton have confirmed that that the club remains committed to seeking answers from the French authorities on a number of issues faced by supporters who travelled to Lille last week.

Feedback received from a significant number of fans over the weekend via a dedicated section on the official website has identified a number of areas of concern, in addition to the two widely reported incidents of last week.

Dave Lewis, Head of Security at Everton, said: “We are still keen to hear from people who witnessed, or were victim of, any safety or security issues in Lille last week.

"It is really important that we have accurate, first-hand information as we report back and look to get answers on what happened and why. The information we have been getting from a range of sources since last Wednesday confirms that a section of our fans had an unacceptable experience in Lille last week.

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"In addition to the unprovoked attack on Wednesday night and what we believe to be a disproportionate police response to issues in the square on the Thursday — which caused unnecessary fear and avoidable injuries to bystanders — there are a number of other issues including access into the stadium that we are continuing to investigate.”

Everton's security team will continue leading the investigation and will be working closely with Merseyside Police and Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, who has already been in contact with Mayor Martine Aubry of Lille.

Aside from these investigations, Everton would like to express its gratitude to LOSC Lille for the Club's support before and after this fixture, including a ticket allocation which allowed considerably more Evertonians to travel to Lille than provided for in the competition rules.

The feedback form on the Club's website is available at evertonfc.com/lille.

 

Reader Comments (2)

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Kieran Riding
2 Posted 28/10/2014 at 19:22:53
Imagine if Hibbert scored when he was through on goal? This would have turned out very differently!

Both clubs seem to be doing the right thing with regards to this, and from my own personal point of view, I was glad of the opportunity given by Lille to attend the game; if they hadn't given us the large allocation, then no way would I have been able to do so.

Danny Broderick
3 Posted 29/10/2014 at 23:10:14
The incident on the day of the game was caused purely by the French police. I have to say, I found the people of Lille to be very welcoming, especially in the stadium. I have heard no adverse reports from any Everton fans sitting in the home end.

The police ruined the experience by kicking off in the daytime, then forcing the whole city to shut down in the evening.


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