Spirit of Shankly have met repeatedly with Liverpool FC to raise serious concerns about the conditions being imposed on supporters in Istanbul. The club have pressed hard on our behalf, but have been ignored.

We remain deeply disappointed that, in 2025, fans are still being forced onto buses without toilets, told to surrender everyday items such as power banks, iPods and headphones despite digital-only tickets, and left without absolute clarity on medical exemptions for vital equipment such as inhalers or diabetic supplies. Supporters are understandably concerned.

This is not unique to Liverpool fans. Manchester United and Tottenham supporters faced similar restrictions in Istanbul, and we are being warned of potentially worse treatment for fans travelling to Marseille.

After the Paris final in 2022, UEFA commissioned an independent review that produced clear recommendations to ensure better treatment of supporters. Yet what we are seeing here shows no lessons have been learned. The time taken producing that report looks wasted when supporters continue to face systemic failings.

Supporters deserve better. We intend to come together with other supporter organisations across Europe to push for meaningful change before these repeated failures lead to serious consequences for fans’ safety.

After this fixture, we will press for answers and accountability from UEFA, who cannot continue to ignore these failures.

– You can read the latest essential travel advice about this fixture HERE.