Uefa pre-prepared Champions League final statement blaming ‘late’ Liverpool fans

UEFA’s statement blaming ‘late’ arriving Liverpool fans for the delay to the Champions League final was reportedly prepared days before the match even took place.

The Paris final between the Reds and Real Madrid was tainted by the off-match events, with European football’s showpiece at the Stade de France turning into chaos.

UEFA issued a statement on the big screens at France’s national stadium announcing that a delay to the scheduled 9 p.m. kick-off was caused by the ‘late arrival of fans’.

The Guardian has now reported that this statement was made the week before the final on May 28.

It was a statement that infuriated Liverpool supporters, thousands of whom were trapped outside the stadium, who arrived three or more hours before kick-off.

About 15,000 supporters were trapped in a dangerous queue at a perimeter checkpoint, some of whom were barred from entering the stadium by turnstiles closed by police and stewards.

At the end of the match, UEFA issued a second statement, blaming ‘thousands of fans’ at the end of Liverpool with ‘fake tickets’ for the kick-off delay.

However, the statement blaming the fans was prepared days before the final took place

There were also further disturbing scenes outside the stadium, where fans were shot at tear gas and beaten with batons after being accused of trying to break into the ground.

In fact, many of them were themselves attacked by local thugs and riot police officers.

Ian Byrne, a Liverpool MP and supporter who attended the match, according to the Guardian, said: “I find it really shocking and appalling to hear that UEFA – the confederation of European national football associations, including the English FA – is – drafted statement blaming supporters, as standard explanation for kick-off delay.

“It’s terrible to do this to the Liverpool supporters after everything we’ve been through. We need full answers on how all these decisions were made.”

More to follow…