Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has called the organisation of the Champions League final at the Stade de France a “shambles”.
The Reds’ game against Real Madrid was delayed for 36 minutes as thousands of Liverpool fans were held outside the ground, unable to get through closed turnstiles before police fired pepper spray and tear gas at innocent men, women and children.
UEFA attempted to blame the chaos on supporters trying to enter the stadium with ‘fake tickets’, but widespread evidence on social media clearly showed that was little to no organisation outside – with police appearing to hinder efforts rather than attempting to help.
“One of my mates got told it was a fake which I assure you it wasn’t,” Robertson said of the situation after Liverpool lost the final 1-0 to Vinicius Junior’s second half goal. “It was a shambles really,” he told BBC Sport.
“To be honest people were just making it up at times and panicking. Tear gas getting thrown at people was unacceptable.
“It was horrendous for our fans and all families that have been through it as well. It wasn’t a nice experience, not a nice final to come to. The Champions League should be a celebration but it wasn’t that.
“Obviously the final wasn’t meant to be here and whether the preparations were not as good as maybe they should have been but I am sure in the coming days an inquest will go into that.”
Inside the stadium, a message was displayed on big screens saying the game had been delayed because of “the late arrival of fans”. Many had in fact been queueing for hours, with many supporters eventually turned away despite having legitimate tickets for the game.
