Didier Lallement offered sincere regrets for the trouble and admitted failures in the security operation.

But he also defended his handling of the chaos last month, saying his “red line” was to save lives.

French authorities blamed late arrivals and fake tickets for overcrowding and chaotic scenes before the match.

Liverpool fans – including children – were tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed outside the stadium by police ahead of the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid on 28 May.

Then as they left the area, some fans were were attacked by 300 to 400 local youths, Mr Lallement said.

“It was obviously a failure, because people were pushed around or attacked even though we owed them security,” Mr Lallement told the French Senate on Thursday.

He said his force was not prepared for the scale of the problem that thousands of fake tickets caused.

He explained that using tear gas outside the Stade de France was the only means they had to get the crowd to move back without charging at them: “I think it would have been a mistake to charge at people.” He added that appeals had been made for supporters to move back but they had not worked.

The police chief was aware that families were caught up in the chaos but he insisted it was absolutely necessary for the match to get underway because the stadium was full.

The fiasco outside the stadium prompted uproar in France as well as the UK and Spain.

Interior minister Gérald Darmanin has come under fire for his own response, blaming the trouble outside the stadium on “massive, industrial-scale” ticket fraud which caused Liverpool fans to turn up en masse.

Mr Lallement said the scale of fake tickets had not been considered ahead of the match. Asked why he had put the number of fake tickets at 30-40,000, the police chief admitted he may have been wrong but that was the number he had estimated at the time.

Liverpool fans have complained of fearing for their safety in the crush, despite arriving hours earlier. But they have also told of local gangs from the Saint-Denis area descending on crowds after the match, stealing phones and watches and threatening them with knives.

Mr Lallement pledged to do everything he can to find those responsible for the post-match violence and to bring them to justice. He encouraged British and Spanish citizens to file complaints to help find those responsible.

Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram, whose phone was stolen outside the stadium, will give evidence about the chaos to the Senate later on Thursday. The hearing will also hear from the French Football Federation.

Uefa eventually apologised to fans of both clubs last week for the “frightening and distressing events” they had witnessed. “No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again,” the European football governing body said in a statement.

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They also want to know why the Stade de France was chosen for the game and who is “responsible for leaving the fans abandoned and defenceless”.

“Football has transmitted an image to the world which is far away from the values and goals which it should pursue,” said a Real Madrid statement.

The Spanish side won the final 1-0.

However, the match was delayed by more than half an hour and Liverpool fans have described heavy-handed policing, organisational chaos and overcrowding at the showpiece game, which was moved to the Stade de France from St Petersburg following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan called the comments by France’s interior minister Gerald Darmanin blaming English fans as “disgraceful” and that, having spoken to his Real Madrid counterpart, the Spanish club’s supporters also had issues.

In their statement, Real Madrid cited “unfortunate events” which took place “in the surroundings of and at access points to the Stade de France, and even inside the stadium itself” and that their fans “were victim to said events”.

They added: “We would like to know the reasons which led to this venue being chosen to host the final and the criteria used, taking into account the experiences of the day.

“Furthermore, we call for answers and explanations in order to determine those responsible for leaving the fans abandoned and defenceless. Fans who in general terms showed exemplary conduct at all times.”

European football’s governing body, Uefa, has commissioned an independent report into what happened at the final.

French authorities have blamed ticket fraud and accused Liverpool football club of failing to control their fans, although it has also emerged that supporters were targeted by local gangs.

“We believe something which should have been a wonderful festival of football for all fans who attended the game, quickly turned into a series of unfortunate events which have caused a sense of outrage around the world,” said Real Madrid.

“As was evident in the revealing images published by the media, several fans were attacked, harassed, assaulted and robbed in violent fashion.

“These occurrences continued as they moved in their cars or busses, causing concern for their physical wellbeing. Certain fans even had to spend the night in hospital as a result of injuries.”

The club added: “Our fans and supporters deserve a response and those responsible to be held accountable in order for events like these to be eradicated from football and sport in general.”

This is important. Saw a lot of @realmadrid fans caught up in the turmoil. https://t.co/EJmfpXdfHD

— Gary Lineker ?? (@GaryLineker) June 3, 2022

Amélie Oudéa-Castéra blamed a “mass gathering” of supporters with “fake tickets” for the chaos at the stadium.

She also said local youths trying to force their way in made things worse.

But UK’s Culture Secretary described the police response as “deeply concerning” and has urged an inquiry.

French police have been criticised for firing pepper spray and tear gas at some Liverpool fans as they waited to get into the stadium on Saturday evening.

Police have also been accused of disorganisation in the handling of the large crowds of people attempting to access the Stade de France.

The final was delayed by 35 minutes by the trouble outside the stadium, with Liverpool losing the match against Spain’s Real Madrid 1-0.

Ms Oudéa-Castéra’s comments came ahead of a meeting on Monday with the French sports ministry, Europe’s football governing body Uefa, the French Football Association, stadium officials and police to “draw lessons” from the event.

“What happened, first of all, was this mass gathering of the British supporters of the Liverpool club, without tickets, or with fake tickets,” Ms Oudéa-Castéra told French radio RTL.

But she said more people from the local area tried to force their way in through the doors of the Stade de France, where the match was held.

“A certain number of youths from the nearby area who were present tried to get in by mixing in with the crowd,” the minister said.

She also expressed regret that families and children were impacted by the use of tear gas.

The French minister said there were “no problems” regarding Real supporters and the Spanish side had controlled their travelling fans better than Liverpool.

Uefa initially blamed the “late arrival” of fans for the problems.

I came across this issue repeatedly as I tried to access the stadium last night. Locals trying to force their way in leading to security closing the gates and keeping out legitimate fans with tickets. Police either didn’t know how to deal with it or didn’t want to #LFC #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/JZyexADoMa

— Nick Parrott (@NickParrottTV) May 29, 2022

But Merseyside police, who are responsible for policing in Liverpool and were present in Paris, said the vast majority of Liverpool fans arrived early at the turnstiles and behaved in an “exemplary manner”.

Saturday’s TV footage showed young men who did not appear to be wearing red Liverpool shirts jumping the stadium gates and then running away from security.

Liverpool fans spoke of long queues building up hours before the match started.

Tom Whitehurst said he had to get his disabled son “out of the way” after they were pepper-sprayed.

“The treatment of supporters by Uefa and the police was an absolute disgrace,” he said. “[Fans] were indiscriminately pepper-sprayed and there were people with tickets, who arrived two-and-a-half hours early, who were queuing up and they were charged at by riot police with shields.”

The BBC’s sports journalist Nick Parrott, who was in Paris, said “it was the most petrifying experience I’ve ever had at a football match”. He tweeted that locals were “trying to force their way in leading to security closing the gates and keeping out legitimate fans with tickets”.

Meanwhile, Liverpool player Andy Robertson said the organisation of the final was a “shambles”, adding that he had given a genuine ticket to a friend who was told it was fake and denied entry to the game.

Liverpool legend Alan Kennedy, who scored the winner when his team beat Real Madrid to win the 1981 European Cup final in Paris, also had a distressing experience outside the Stade de France. The 67-year-old was helped over a security fence by supporters to escape the crowd.

Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson, who attended the final, described the French police actions as “absolutely disgusting”.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Ms Anderson said: “When the game was delayed and I could see lots of Liverpool seats were empty – so knowing that people with tickets hadn’t been able to get in, I went to walk around the ground to see what was going on.

“Seeing all the Liverpool fans bottlenecked together, shouting at officials, or shouting at stewards, and then the riot police just came over and pepper sprayed them.

The chaotic scenes have become a political embarrassment in France, which is due to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games.

The man who was left-back when the Anfield club won the trophy in 2005 thinks Senegal forward Sadio Mane is in contention for the award – but says he faces stiff competition from Real and France striker Karim Benzema.

Benzema, 34, has struck 15 goals in Europe this season to help the Spanish giants set up a meeting with Liverpool in Paris on Saturday (19:00 GMT).

Mane was instrumental in Senegal’s first Africa Cup of Nations triumph in February and helped the Teranga Lions qualify for the 2022 World Cup, with the 30-year-old having also won two domestic cups with his club this season.

“I think Karim Benzema is in the form in his life – he’s doing fantastically,” Traore told BBC Sport Africa.

“I think the winner of the Champions League, the individual reward would be like winning the Ballon d’Or. Right now it looks like it’ll be between Benzema and Mane.”

Nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or will be revealed on 12 August, with the winner announced at a ceremony in Paris in 17 October.

Organisers France Football have decided the prize will now be judged on performances over a season rather than over a calendar year, which was the previous format.

Saturday’s showdown between Real Madrid and Liverpool in Paris is a rematch of the 2018 Champions League final, when the Spaniards ran out 3-1 winners to clinch their 13th European crown.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds returned 12 months later to win the title for the sixth time and Traore thinks his old side are slight favourites this year, despite finishing second in the Premier League.

“They have a fantastic manager,” the 42-year-old former Mali international said.

“Some of their players are the best in the positions they play. When you see Mo Salah, he’s a top-class player, the best African player. You see Mane as well and after that you have (Virgil) Van Dijk and a couple of other players.

“They just got (Luis) Diaz – he was a great addition for the team. And they look confident.

“Maybe it’s one of the first times Liverpool look like favourites in the final and that’s something maybe they’re not used to. They did it last time against Tottenham [in 2019], so why not do it again?”

Istanbul comeback in 2005 ‘sticks’ with Traore

Traore was part of the Liverpool side which recovered from 3-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3 and beat AC Milan on penalties in the Champions League final 17 years ago.

The defender says that comeback, dubbed ‘The Miracle of Istanbul’, remains a fond memory.

“When I look back on that experience, it was one of the best moments in my life,” Traore said.

“I went through different emotions and that’s why it still sticks with me,

“In any sport, any coach would want to talk about that story. Because everything is possible if you believe and work hard, and if you don’t give up.

“That’s what I think is the beauty of that final – and the beauty of football.”

Traore now works for the Right to Dream Academy, an organisation affiliated to Danish top-flight club FC Nordsjaelland with football academies in Denmark, Ghana and Egypt – and with plans to open another in America.

“I try to get the best players from each academy, and play games together around the world,” Traore, who is head coach of the international academy, said.

“We try to make sure they grow as a player, but as a person as well, and prepare them to be ready to go into the professional world. It can be football and education, and that’s what I love about it – it is authentic.”