Alex Oxlade Chamberlain Liverpool
Merseyside Police have said Liverpool fans were “not late” to the Champions League final after chaos outside the stadium. Hundreds of supporters were stopped from entering the Stade de France on Saturday night ahead of the match. Shocking video from outside the stadium appeared to show fans with tickets being pepper sprayed in their dozens. Tweeting after Liverpool’s defeat against Real Madrid,
Mersyside Police officers said: “MERPOL was deployed to this evening’s match. Can only describe it as the worst European match I’ve ever worked or experienced.”
The officer went on to praise fans for their “exemplary” behaviour at the stadium.
Mersyside Police added: “I thought the behaviour of the fans at the turnstiles was exemplary in shocking circumstances. You were not late 100%”
Liverpool FC have requested a formal investigation from UEFA after supporters faced serious organisational issues outside the Stade de France. The club released a statement midway through proceedings in Paris damning the ‘hugely disappointing’ scenes as videos emerged of fans being pepper-sprayed and not allowed into the stadium despite purchasing legitimate tickets.
A Liverpool statement read: “We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and break down of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at the Stade de France. 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.”
The ECHO understands senior officials from Liverpool officially requested for the kick-off to be delayed after lobbying UEFA while the security of the stadium was a substantial issue which caused the time to be pushed back. Furthermore, Liverpool insist the UEFA message about late arrival of Liverpool fans is totally inaccurate and security concerns were raised with UEFA on numerous occasions ahead of the match.
