Champions League final chaos: Liverpool player says club-issued ticket he gave to a friend was dismissed at ground as fake

A Liverpool player says a club-issued ticket to the Champions League final was dismissed as “fake” – as UEFA and French ministers blamed followers at the UK finish for the delayed kick-off in opposition to Real Madrid.

British police, nonetheless, mentioned Reds supporters’ behaviour was “exemplary”.

Liverpool FC has referred to as for an investigation after its followers had been subjected to violence in Paris, with tear gasoline getting used repeatedly.

Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis informed Sky News it appeared that an “aggressive approach” had been used in opposition to Liverpool followers and it was “concerning”.

The measurement of the group appeared to overwhelm safety at the Stade de France. Many supporters waited outdoors for hours, whereas others weren’t allowed in till half-time.

Liverpool wing-back Andy Robertson revealed a friend had been accused of holding a counterfeit ticket.

“Obviously my tickets were through the club and somehow somebody told one of my mates that he’s got a fake ticket which I can assure you it definitely wasn’t because it was obviously through me,” he informed Sky Sports News.

“Then obviously the French police decide to throw tear gas on fans and families.

“It’s the most important sport in world soccer – it must be organised a lot higher.”

Fellow defender Joel Matip’s brother and pregnant sister-in-law were reportedly forced to flee.

Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish told Sky News the “followers are completely exonerated when you learn all of the press reviews”, adding: “I feel the French authorities must be a bit embarrassed by the best way they behaved.”

Separately, French police mentioned they made 68 arrests at fan zones.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin mentioned the blame lay with those that had travelled from the UK.

After visiting safety HQ at the stadium, he tweeted: “Thousands of British ‘fans’, without tickets or with fake tickets forced their way in and, sometimes, violated the stewards.”

French sports activities minister Amelie Oudea-Castera mentioned “attempts at intrusion and fraud by thousands of English supporters complicated the work of the stadium staff and police”.

UEFA, European soccer’s governing physique, additionally appeared to blame British supporters, saying: “In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands of fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles.”

Prefecture de Police, the Parisian police pressure, blamed followers arriving with out tickets too, saying: “Exerting strong pressure to enter the enclosure, these supporters delayed access to spectators with tickets.”

But Merseyside police mentioned the “behaviour of the fans at the turnstiles was exemplary in shocking circumstances”.

Liverpool FC mentioned UEFA’s model of occasions was “totally inaccurate”.

Mr Lewis, who’s Northern Ireland Secretary, mentioned: “It is not the first time we have seen this overseas, actually. We’ve got to learn a little bit about what happened over there, get to the bottom of it.”

Real Madrid received the match 1-0, with Brazilian winger Jose Vinicius Junior scoring the one objective.

While French officers with batons and riot shields ran from gate to gate to strive to stop teams of followers forcing their manner into the stadium with out displaying tickets, Liverpool supporters mentioned the tensions had been pushed by younger Parisians, who taunted police and triggered the gates to be shut.

A fan returning to Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Sunday morning, Daniel Miller, informed Sky News it was “absolute carnage” and the followers had been “treated like cattle”.

He added: “The police treated us terribly. It was brutal, to say the least. The fans were treated like cattle, basically – they were trying to get everyone in, around 20,000 fans into a small space.

“Never had any issues in Madrid, Kyiv, Istanbul, however Paris, I can actually say I might by no means return there for a soccer sport.”

Another fan, Peter Moore, said is was “chaos, absolute chaos”.

“It was harmful,” he added. “As you approached there have been actually hundreds of gangs of native French children that had been clearly there to get themselves into the stadium and steal tickets off individuals, pickpocket individuals, and it was very, very intimidating.”

Liverpool FC mentioned in a assertion: “We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France.

“This is the best match in European soccer and supporters shouldn’t have to expertise the scenes we now have witnessed tonight.

“We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues.”

A Merseyside Police spokesperson mentioned on Twitter: “MERPOL was deployed to this evening’s match.

“Can solely describe it as the worst European match I’ve ever labored or skilled.

“I thought the behaviour of the fans at the turnstiles was exemplary in shocking circumstances.

“You weren’t late 100%.”

Sky correspondent James Matthews was at the game and said: “It was Liverpool’s largest night time of the season however, no matter occurred on the pitch, it was a shambles off it.

“The kick off may have been delayed but, even as it approached half-time, several hundred Liverpool fans were still queuing to get in.

“Many of them confirmed us their tickets and informed how they’d been ready for greater than two hours to achieve entry. This, after a lengthy and costly journey to get right here.

“Big football occasions attract large numbers of ticketless opportunists and there was clearly a police effort to weed them out.

“It meant that enormous teams of supporters had been caught up in a sturdy policing operation that noticed teams of officers in riot gear conducting chases across the stadium concourse and utilizing irritant spray and tear gasoline.

“Liverpool fans were caught up in the chaos and had to endure the irritant – the choice was to run or lose a place in the queue.

“All this on European membership soccer’s largest event – a night time which was, for too many, the showpiece that confirmed soccer at its worst.”

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