A Liverpool fan has relived his terror after claims he was attacked with a needle during terrifying scenes after the Champions League final in Paris.
Brad Young described how his trip to the French capital quickly turned into a nightmare amid claims he and his friends were targeted by local gangs on the way out of the Stade de France on Saturday 28 May.
The 24-year-old from Belfast had won tickets to the game in a competition just days before the match after missing out on the ballot, the ECHO reports.
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Brad said: "We actually booked flights and accommodation as soon as the final got moved to Paris. We couldn't get tickets but were just going to go and watch it in the fan zone. I couldn't believe it when I won the competition and won tickets just four days before the final."
He and his friends travelled to Paris and said the atmosphere in the Liverpool fan zone was "brilliant" before the match.
They said they managed to avoid some of the worst scenes outside the ground before the game, as thousands of Liverpool fans were forced into dangerously small areas before being targeted with pepper spray and tear gas by French police.
But it was after the match that the mood inside the stadium shifted. Brad said: "It was a strange atmosphere inside the stadium, there were so many empty seats and then there were lots of locals suddenly coming in to our section, we didn't know what was going on.
"When we left after the game it turned so sour so quickly. We walked into clouds of tear gas and the police were hitting fans who weren't moving, but they couldn't physically move."
After escaping from the stadium, Brad said he became aware of large numbers of local people and gangs who appeared to be targeting Liverpool fans as they tried to make their way back to their hotels.
He added: "It felt like they were hunting us, they were running up and shouting in our faces, suddenly lots of fans started sprinting away. I honestly was in fear for my life."
Further along the route home, Reds fans were still being chased by local gangs. Brad said: "We didn't know what was going on or where we were but we wanted to get away. It was terrifying. At that point someone tried to grab my friend's watch and I felt a grab on my shoulder, I had no idea what had happened."
After arriving back at his hotel Brad said he woke up and was concerned about a mark he could feel on his shoulder. "I hadn't even thought it could be a needle at first, but I was watching something on YouTube about rising needle attacks in France and that made me worried," he said.
After contacting people back home, he decided to head to hospital in Paris where he claims a doctor confirmed he had been attacked with a needle and had been left with a puncture mark.
Brad said: "I felt so horrible, so anxious. I couldn't get my head around it. I am a 24-year-old lad who was supposed to be having the best weekend of my life and instead I am waiting on test results that could change everything."
He is still waiting on a range of test results and hoping there is no lasting damage from the attack. He said: "It's a completely crazy thing to happen to you. I have spent the past few days just lying in bed, unable to lift my head."
