Liverpool icon Kenny Dalglish has branded the authorities "a joke" after the unsavoury scenes were witnessed ahead of the Champions League final in Paris.
A number of supporters had severe problems getting into the Stade de France ahead of kick-off. One gate outside of the stadium was reportedly closed off to fans, leading to riot police getting involved and tear gas being deployed to disperse the crowd.
In the meantime, some fans were seen scaling the perimeter wall of the stadium in order to gain access. That eventually led to kick-off for the game being delayed by over 30 minutes as supporters were in the end granted access.
Dalglish though has slammed the organisation of the pre-match checks, whilst also praising Liverpool fans for their support of the team in extremely trying circumstances. Taking to Twitter, the 71-year-old wrote: “The Liverpool fans are special. The way they were treated by authorities was an absolute joke.
“Nobody should ever be afraid to go to a football game. Thank you to everyone who came to Paris. The Fan Park was unbelievable. I hope you all get home safe. What a season! YNWA”
There is expected to be plenty of fall-out from the chaotic scenes in Saint-Denis, with Liverpool releasing a club statement and demanding a formal investigation. After announcing three delays to the original kick-off time of 8pm BST, UEFA also broke their silence by claiming that swaths of supporters attempting to gain access with counterfeit tickets were the cause of the build-up outside of the stadium.
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They wrote: “In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles.
“This created a build-up of fans trying to get in. As a result, the kick-off was delayed by 35 minutes to allow as many fans as possible with genuine tickets to gain access.
“As numbers outside the stadium continued to build up after kick-off, the police dispersed them with tear gas and forced them away from the stadium.
“UEFA is sympathetic to those affected by these events and will further review these matters urgently together with the French police and authorities, and with the French Football Federation.”
In the end, Liverpool were not able to lift their seventh European Cup, Real Madrid running out slender 1-0 victors on the night. Vinicius Junior’s second-half strike was enough for the Spanish side to claim the trophy although they might feel more indebted to Thibaut Courtois.
The former Chelsea stopper produced a series of stunning saves throughout the game to keep the Reds at bay. In the meantime, Real scored the opener with their first shot on target in the game.
