European Football Associations (UEFA) and French authorities have blamed Liverpool fans for delaying the start of the Champions League final on Saturday, while British police say Reds fans were “perfect”, according to the network.Sky News“.
The start of the match between Real Madrid and Liverpool was delayed for more than half an hour, as security personnel struggled to deal with the fans around the stadium.
Liverpool Football Club has demanded an investigation after its fans were subjected to violence outside the match stadium in Paris, with tear gas being used repeatedly.
And British Minister Brandon Lewis, in a statement to Sky News, considered that an “aggressive tactic” was used against Liverpool fans, and described it as “alarming.”
It seemed that security was tightly controlled, while many fans were left waiting outside the stadium for hours, and some were not allowed to enter until the end of the first half.
French police, on the other hand, said they carried out 68 arrests in fan zones.
France’s interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, blamed some of those who had traveled from the UK.
After his visit to the stadium’s security headquarters, he tweeted: “Thousands of British fans, without tickets or with fake tickets, stormed the road to the stadium, and in some cases attacked those responsible for examining tickets.”
“The attempts of break-ins and fraud by thousands of English fans have complicated the work of the stadium staff and the police,” said French Sports Minister Odea Castera.
UEFA also blamed the British fans, saying: “In the run-up to the match, the gates for Liverpool fans were closed by thousands who bought fake tickets that didn’t work at the gates.”
But the English security authorities said that “the behavior of the masses at the gates was exemplary in appalling conditions.”
Liverpool Football Club said UEFA’s version of events was “totally inaccurate”.
And England defender Andy Robertson revealed that a friend of his was accused of possessing a fake ticket, “and I assure you it is not, it was a real mess.”
As French officers, carrying batons and riot shields, ran from gate to gate in an attempt to prevent groups of fans from storming the stadium without showing tickets, Liverpool fans said the gates were closed.
“It seemed like there was only one gate open,” said one fan, Karl Noades, 63. “It’s ridiculous, to start the match while we’re stuck outside.”
He described the whole thing as a “disgrace,” adding: “The way we were treated was shocking, and there is no regulation.”
“We are deeply disappointed by the problems entering the stadium and the breakdown of the security environment that Liverpool fans faced this evening at the Stade de France,” Liverpool said in a statement.
“This is the greatest match in European football and fans should not have to go through those scenes we saw tonight.”
The English club confirmed that it had officially requested an investigation into the causes of “these unacceptable cases.”
Real Madrid defeated Liverpool, England, on Saturday, at the Princes Park stadium in the French capital, Paris, in the final match of the European Champions League, to achieve the 14th title in its history.
The first half ended in a goalless draw, before Brazilian Vinicius managed to score against Liverpool in the second half.
The kick-off was delayed for 36 minutes, due to “security issues” linked to the “delayed arrival of fans” to the Stade de France stadium on Saturday in Paris.
The stadium’s stands were not full 10 minutes before the scheduled kickoff at 19:00 GMT, AFP journalists noted. Long queues were seen, minutes before the start of the whistle, waiting to enter the stadium.
While the stadium announcer announced that the start of the match was delayed for a maximum of 15 minutes, the two clubs announced that it would start at nine thirty in the evening local time, half an hour later than the original time, before Liverpool announced later that it had been postponed for 36 minutes.
Fans tried to bypass the first barrier installed around the stadium, but access to the stadium remained “tight”, according to what AFP learned from the French capital’s police. Videos on social media showed fans climbing the stadium gates in an attempt to enter.
The first cordon around the stadium was subjected to an “attempt to penetrate”, according to what the police confirmed, while some Liverpool fans were impatient, who expressed their annoyance with the organizers due to the waiting time outside.
Less than half an hour before the start of the match, the atmosphere became tense when about a thousand fans found themselves slow at the entrance gates and were contained by the security forces.
“Open the gates,” they shouted angrily, as they passed one by one showing their tickets.
Tear gas was fired to prevent a few dozen youths from climbing the barriers outside the stadium to try to get close.
About 6,800 police, gendarmes and firefighters were equipped to ensure the security of the final, which was transferred from St. Petersburg to Paris due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.