The police chief in charge of the Champions League final in Paris has apologized for deploying tear gas on Liverpool fans outside the stadium.
Didier Lallement expressed heartfelt contrition for the incident and recognized that the security operation had failed.
He did, however, justify his handling of the mayhem last month, claiming that his "red line" was to preserve lives.
Overcrowding and chaotic scenes before the match were blamed on late arrivals and fake tickets, according to French authorities.
Police pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed Liverpool fans, including children, outside the stadium before of the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid on May 28.
Then, as they were leaving the area, 300 to 400 local youngsters assaulted some of the fans, according to Mr Lallement.
"It was certainly a failure," Mr Lallement told the French Senate on Thursday, "since individuals were pushed around or attacked despite the fact that we owed them security."
He said that his officers were unprepared for the magnitude of the problem generated by thousands of bogus tickets.
He added that the only way to force the throng to go back without charging at them was to use tear gas outside the Stade de France: "I think charging at people would have been a mistake." He went on to say that while there had been requests for supporters to return, they had failed.
Although the police chief was aware that families were caught up in the pandemonium, he insisted that the game must go on since the stadium was completely packed.
The incident outside the stadium sparked outrage in France, the United Kingdom, and Spain.
Gérald Darmanin, the Interior Minister, has come under fire for his own response, blaming the unrest outside the stadium on "huge, industrial-scale" ticket theft that created a stampede of Liverpool fans.
Mr Lallement said that the magnitude of bogus tickets had not been taken into account before to the match. When asked why he estimated the amount of bogus tickets at 30-40,000, the police chief confessed he may be incorrect, but it was the figure he had come up with.
Despite arriving hours earlier, Liverpool fans have expressed concern regarding their safety in the crowd. Local gangs from the Saint-Denis region, however, have been reported as swooping on people after the match, taking phones and watches and threatening them with knives.
Mr. Lallement promised to do all in his power to uncover and prosecute those guilty for the post-match violence. He urged British and Spanish individuals to make complaints in order to assist in the investigation of those guilty.
Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram, whose phone was taken outside the stadium, will testify to the Senate later on Thursday about the turmoil. The French Football Federation will also be heard during the hearing.
Last Monday, Uefa apologized to both clubs' supporters for the "terrifying and upsetting acts" they had seen. "No football fan should be put in that predicament, and it must never happen again," declared the European Football Association in a statement.