Champions League: Bayern Munich lodges UEFA protest against ‘unacceptable’ police measures in Paris

Bayern Munich has protested to UEFA against «unacceptable» and «surprising» security measures taken by French police ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match in Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern issued a statement late on Monday saying an official protest had been lodged with governing body UEFA against measures adopted at “short notice” by the Paris police prefecture.

The measures, issued on Monday, included requiring all buses carrying Bayern fans to wait outside the city and be accompanied by a police escort to and from the Parc des Princes.

The measure also requires all Bayern fans to “travel to the stadium exclusively by public transport.”

Bayern said fan buses would not be able to leave the Paris region until around 5am local time on Wednesday, despite the match finishing around 11pm the night before.

Hosts PSG supported Bayern’s protest, the statement said.

“For FC Bayern, the short term of the decree is unacceptable, as all relevant information has been available for weeks,” the statement said.

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French police came under fire in the aftermath of the 2022 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, held at the Stade de France in the north of the city.

The match was overshadowed by a 37-minute delay to kick-off as fans struggled to access entrances after running into crowded bottlenecks as they approached the stadium.

In May this year, ex-French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin apologized to supporters for the police operation around the stadium, saying “we got the measures wrong” and “it was a failure”.

Darmanin had initially blamed Liverpool fans for the disorder, claiming many had turned up without tickets.

Jittery police fired tear gas at thousands of supporters trapped behind metal barriers on the edge of the stadium.

Liverpool fans faced a series of false claims in the wake of the chaos.

An independent report found that UEFA bore “primary responsibility” for the failures that almost led to the match becoming a “mass catastrophe with fatalities”.

The report added that it was «remarkable» that no one was killed on the night of the final.

Real Madrid won the final 1-0.

Published on November 4, 2025