Liverpool have accused French authorities of trying to “divert responsibility” for the chaotic scenes that overshadowed the Champions League final on Saturday in Paris.
The European governing body UEFA announced on Monday that an independent and comprehensive review of dangerous events outside the Stade de France will be carried out.
Liverpool fans were sprayed with tear gas and pepper by police as they waited in huge queues before the match against Real Madrid, with access problems leading to a 36-minute delay.
UEFA initially blamed the late arrival of fans for the problems, which included crushing some supporters, before later issuing a statement, citing fake tickets as the reason.
French government ministers reiterated the latest allegations on Monday, claiming that “industrial fraud” led to the ensuing fiasco.
This version of events has been challenged by many fans and other independent eyewitnesses, including many media outlets.
Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan told the club’s website www.liverpoolfc.com: “I would say we are incredibly surprised that someone in this position will comment in the first place at a time when we have not had enough time to understand what it happened. No independent investigation has been conducted to establish all the facts.
“We need to know all the facts to make sure that the scenes we’ve all seen – absolutely disgraceful – since Saturday will never happen again.
“By making such useless comments, we just think that everyone should focus on proper investigation and less on making provocative comments that try to divert responsibility for what happened on Saturday night.
Representatives of local authorities, police and match organizers met on Monday to review the events.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told a news conference: “There was massive industrial fraud and the organization of counterfeit tickets, 70 per cent of the tickets were fake tickets coming to the Stade de France.
The mass presence of fake tickets was the problem, which meant that there were delays, three times the match was postponed.
Sports Minister Amelie Udea-Castera said: “The key point is to try to understand exactly what happened during this massive scam.
“There are witnesses and the figures confirm it – 30,000-40,000 people without tickets or with fake tickets and we saw some fake tickets.
Hogan was also outraged by UEFA’s initial remarks about the fans’ delay.
He said: “To say that our fans didn’t come on time is crazy.
“My colleagues from the whole club, our property and I, we all saw it with our own eyes. We were off the field, on the ground, in these crowds, and from everything I saw, our fans arrived early and they lined up as instructed by the authorities. “
UEFA has confirmed that the review will be carried out by Dr Thiago Brandao Rodriguez, a member of the Portuguese Parliament and a former member of the World Anti-Doping Foundation.
He commissioned the report after calls from all parties and leading politicians for an in-depth investigation.
A statement said: “The comprehensive review will examine the decision-making, responsibility and behavior of all actors involved in the final.
“Evidence will be gathered from all relevant parties and the findings of the independent report will be made public once they are finalized and, after receiving the findings, UEFA will assess the next steps.
Liverpool have begun gathering their own evidence with supporters and others present, invited to report their experiences via a feedback form on their website.
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