Liverpool supporters union The Spirit of Shankly have slammed UEFA for their role in the "shambolic" scenes that preceded the Champions League final.
Kick-off was delayed by 36 minutes after fans experienced major problems with getting into the Stade de France. Heavy-handed tactics from the French police also saw some supporters, including families, tear-gassed as huge bottlenecks formed.
UEFA blamed the issues outside the ground on fans being late to turn up for the game, though that excuse was soon proven to be wide of the mark. And now The Spirit of Shankly have slammed the organisers for the many failures that led to the chaos.
"Once again Liverpool supporters, and we are hearing, Real Madrid supporters, have felt the disorganisation and shambolic mismanagement of a major final by UEFA. Their comments may have changed before the match, but what remained consistent was their narrative that fans were to blame," the fan group said in a statement.
"Fans were not late. Many began arriving more than two-and-a-half hours before the scheduled kick-off time. They had legitimate tickets but failed to gain entry. The Merseyside Police representative in Paris made it clear: 'I can only describe it as the worst European match I’ve ever worked or experienced. I thought the behaviour of the fans at the turnstiles was exemplary in shocking circumstances. You were not late 100 per cent'.
"The failure rests with UEFA, the French authorities and police. The consequence of such incompetence was the not unusual heavy-handed response from the police and their indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray.
"The French authorities and police also failed to control gangs of local youths before and after the match. Innocent fans were left distraught after they were assaulted, bags pick pocketed and match tickets stolen."
The fan group also called on the authorities to "take responsibility" for the mistakes that led to the horrific scenes in Paris. They insisted that they had worked to make the game as safe as possible, and placed the blame firmly at UEFA's door.
"The safety and well-being of our fans is paramount and in the weeks leading up to the game, Spirit of Shankly worked closely with LFC, @FSE and @merpol to ensure all that could be done would be done to secure this," the statement added.
"It was not. And that collective work was ignored by UEFA and the relevant French authorities. We will now work with those same organisations to gather evidence of all affected by the events in Paris.
"It is incumbent on UEFA, the French authorities and police to take responsibility. They need to send representatives to Liverpool to meet with LFC and SOS. Lessons need to be learned so that this never happens again."
In a statement released at the final whistle, UEFA had blamed fans turning up without tickets for the chaos that ensued. They insisted they would 'review' the events that took place as a matter of urgency.
"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," UEFA's statement read.
"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."
