Delay caused by 'shambolic' ticketing issues

PARIS • Uefa has blamed "fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles" for a 35-minute delay to Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris, which resulted in chaotic and angry scenes outside the Stade de France.

French police were forced to fire tear gas to disperse the thousands of frustrated supporters who were milling outside the ground, while there were reports pepper spray was used to push the crowd back.

Several dozen people had also attempted to climb over barriers, and around 20 fans who succeeded in clearing the fence and getting into the ground were rounded up.

Local authorities yesterday confirmed 68 people had been detained, of whom 39 were placed under arrest and remanded in custody, meaning that they could face charges. Paris police added a ticket tout who had been selling around 50 fake tickets near the Liverpool fan zone was also arrested.

On the unrest, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin pointed the finger at Liverpool fans, tweeting: "Thousands of British 'supporters' either without tickets or with fake ones forced their way through and sometimes behaved violently towards the stewards."

French dailies Le Monde and L'Equipe also supported the government's stance, highlighting the contrast between the two vast fans zones, where there was a good atmosphere and took place without major incident, and the stadium.

Uefa said: "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...

"This created a build-up of fans trying to get in. As a result, the kick-off was delayed by 35 minutes to allow as many fans as possible with genuine tickets to gain access.

"As numbers outside the stadium continued to build up after kick-off, the police dispersed them with tear gas and forced them away from the stadium."

But Liverpool countered with a response that heavily criticised the treatment of their fans and have demanded an official inquiry into the clashes.

The Premier League club added they were "hugely disappointed" that their supporters had been subjected to an "unacceptable" breakdown of the security perimeter at France's national stadium.

Despite holding valid tickets, some of the Liverpool supporters did not get into the ground until the end of the first half. Uefa expressed their "sympathy" to the fans who were affected, vowing to review the situation together with local police and authorities, as well as the French Football Federation.

But that cut little ice with Liverpool, who were adamant their fans had been mistreated.

"We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France," the FA Cup and League Cup winners said.

"This is the greatest match in European football and supporters should not have to experience the scenes we have witnessed tonight. We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues."

Kelly Cates, the daughter of Liverpool great Kenny Dalglish, described the pre-match scenes as "absolutely shambolic", as did Reds left-back Andy Robertson.

The Scotland captain told the BBC: "One of my mates got told it (his ticket) was a fake, which I assure you it wasn't. It was a shambles really. Tear gas getting thrown at people was unacceptable."

Nearly 7,000 police were deployed to hot spots to deal with between 30,000 and 40,000 Liverpool fans thought to have travelled to Paris without tickets.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS