Dylan Bettencourt
Uefa’s safety consultant Steve Frosdick quit his role in February after expressing concerns with the direction of the organisation.
And just months after his resignation, Uefa suffered safety problems and disruptions at both the Champions League and Europa League finals.
Frosdick, a retired Metropolitan police officer, moved to a stadium safety role in British and European football in the 1990s but resigned in February after spending 11 years with the governing body.
Frosdick left his role after accusing the body of being unprofessional with certain expertise and development being disregarded.
The direction of the safety department was taken over by Zeljko Pavlica, a close friend of Uefa president Aleksandr Ceferin.
But just a few months later, the Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers saw the water in the stadium being cut off from both the taps and the bathrooms.
At the Champions League final when Liverpool played Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris there were clashes between supporters and local police.
Thousands of Liverpool fans had turned up to support their side. While Uefa claims fans with fake tickets are the reason behind the clashes, a pre-check of tickets causing congestion amongst fans is reported as the main cause of the violence.
With both sides pointing the finger at each other, Uefa have apologised for the incident and have launched an investigation to determine the causes.
However, Uefa failed to manage their event and a lack of organisation led to fans being pepper sprayed and tear gassed.
Reports also indicate that around 3,000 fans who purchased legitimate tickets were turned away by officials.
Uefa defended the appointment of Pavlica, adding that he is a well-respected name in the security business.
Image source: @SouthChinaMorningPost
