The French government has said it is "sad and sorry" for the disruption faced by Liverpool fans at last week's Champions League final in Paris, though interior minister Gerald Darmanin has refused to back down on claims the use of fake tickets caused the chaos.
The Champions League final was twice delayed as Liverpool fans struggled to enter the Stade de France, while social media footage showed Reds supporters being targeted with tear gas and pepper spray by local police.
On Monday, UEFA announced an independent investigation into the events after both Liverpool and the UK government - via culture secretary Nadine Dorries - called for a probe into the organisation of the match.
The French government has faced severe criticism since the contest, with Liverpool chairman Tom Werner calling for sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera to apologise for her "irresponsible, unprofessional, and wholly disrespectful" claim that the club was responsible for the events after letting their fans "out in the wild".
Speaking after the events had been discussed during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, government spokesperson Olivia Gregoire said Emmanuel Macron and his colleagues apologised to fans who were unable to gain entry to the match, but denied the events amounted to a "tragedy".
"Could things have been done better? Could it have been better managed? Yes," she said. "Was there a tragedy or injuries? No. Can we improve things in sight of the next sports competitions? Certainly.
"What was shared this morning is that we must keep a little composure, even if things are to be improved. We must not forget those who, before the government, had a bad evening, that is to say the supporters, the families, the 2,700 spectators with tickets who could not see the match.
"As a priority, the President of the Republic and the whole of the government were sad and sorry for these people, who were displaced and were simply deprived of a match."
Darmanin, meanwhile, has maintained the prevalence of counterfeit tickets, originally cited by UEFA as the reason for the congestion outside the stadium, was a crucial factor.
Speaking at a French senate hearing to discuss the controversial events, Darmanin claimed between 30,000 and 40,000 people either without tickets or using counterfeit tickets had been present outside the Saint-Dennis venue.
"Regarding the tickets, the Liverpool club asked that the tickets - the entirety - be in paper, whereas for all the other meetings of the competition, this was not the case," said Darmanin.
"It does not mean that all the fans had fake tickets, there were also spectators without tickets.
"People with counterfeit tickets passed the first screening and caused technical errors on the stadium turnstiles. Thus, people entered the stadium without control and took the place of people who had real tickets but who could not enter.
"Regarding the 30,000 to 40,000 counterfeit tickets, we never said so. We have always communicated about 30,000 to 40,000 people [either] without tickets or with counterfeit tickets. If some call us liars, we have sources.
"We arrived at a figure of between 109,000 and 119,000 people around the Stade de France, so much more than the real capacity of the enclosure."
Darmanin also contended that similar problems had been experienced at the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid, when Liverpool beat fellow Premier League side Tottenham, suggesting the presence of Liverpool in such contests presented a unique challenge for organisers.
"Liverpool is not a club like any other," he added. "[In] Madrid, in 2019, there were exactly the same problems, [the] same difficulties of counterfeit tickets and people outside the stadium.
"Our mistake was undoubtedly not to see that tens of thousands of people without tickets would go directly to the Stade de France."
Darmanin did, however, apologise "very sincerely" for the "disproportionate" use of tear gas by police, though he also rejected criticisms of the forces' general conduct at the match.
"It is obvious that for all football fans, the negative image of this match is an injury. Could we have avoided and anticipated more? No doubt," he added. "But I regret the criticisms suffered by the forces of order, which I represent and command."
Slot: Guardiola contract is 'good news' for Premier League
Arne Slot believes it is "good news" for the Premier League that Pep Guardiola has signed a contract extension with Manchester City.
The Spaniard signed a two-year extension with the reigning champions and will remain in the dugout at the Etihad until 2027.
He has won 18 major trophies in his time at City, including six Premier League titles, and twice beat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to the top-flight crown by a single point.
Guardiola averages 2.35 points per game in the Premier League, the highest rate of any manager (20+ matches). Indeed, he is so far ahead of the next highest (Alex Ferguson's 2.16), he could lose his next 26 league games in a row and would still be top.
Slot is yet to face City since taking over from Klopp at the start of the season, with the rivals' first meeting of the season set for December 1.
"It's good news for City and for the league because everyone wants the best managers and the best players over here," Slot said when asked about Guardiola's new contract.
"He is definitely one of the best managers, maybe the best manager of the league.
"He's won four titles in a row, so it's fair to say he's maybe the best manager in the league.
"On the other hand, they have so many quality players that, if he would have made the choice to leave, I wouldn't have expected them to end up bottom of the league next season."
Other Premier League managers echoed Slot's sentiment, with Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, who inflicted a fourth consecutive defeat on City before the international break, saying it is the "best thing that can happen to the Premier League".
"He is one of the best coaches in the world," Hurzeler said. "With his ideas, he always brings something new to the football stage, and it is always a challenge to compete against him.
"He always adapts quickly, always has new ideas and he can always win the game. I'm very happy because we can learn from him and to compete with him is a big, big experience."
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe added: "He's contributed so much to English football. He's revolutionised how a lot of teams play.
"I think he's incredibly talented, and it's good for the English game that he's still here.
"He will continue to develop and evolve his style, and people will potentially continue to follow that. From the competition side, I think it keeps the Premier League as the best in the world."
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with AC Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to AC Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A, but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
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