Chaos in Paris

Once again Liverpool supporters, and we are hearing, Real Madrid supporters, have felt the disorganisation and shambolic mismanagement of a major final by UEFA.

Their comments may have changed before the match, but what remained consistent was their narrative that fans were to blame.

Fans were not late. Many began arriving more than two-and-a-half hours before the scheduled kick-off time. They had legitimate tickets but failed to gain entry. The Merseyside Police representative in Paris made it clear: “I can only describe it as the worst European match I’ve ever worked or experienced. I thought the behaviour of the fans at the turnstiles was exemplary in shocking circumstances. You were not late 100 per cent”.

The failure rests with UEFA, the French authorities and police.

The consequence of such incompetence was the not unusual heavy-handed response from the police and their indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray.

The French authorities and police also failed to control gangs of local youths before and after the match. Innocent fans were left distraught after they were assaulted, bags pick pocketed and match tickets stolen.

The safety and well-being of our fans is paramount and in the weeks leading up to the game, Spirit of Shankly worked closely with LFC, @FSE and @merpol to ensure all that could be done would be done to secure this.

It was not. And that collective work was ignored by UEFA and the relevant French authorities.

We will now work with those same organisations to gather evidence of all affected by the events in Paris. It is incumbent on @uefa, the French authorities and police to take responsibility. They need to send representatives to Liverpool to meet with LFC and SOS. Lessons need to be learned so that this never happens again.