European football governing body UEFA blamed “fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles” for a 35-minute delay to Saturday’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris, but the English club heavily criticised the treatment of their supporters.
UEFA said French police had fired tear gas to disperse thousands of frustrated fans who were building up outside the Stade de France as a result of the fake tickets issue.
But Liverpool said they were “hugely disappointed” that their supporters had been subjected to an “unacceptable” breakdown of the security perimeter at France’s national stadium.
The final of Europe’s most prestigious club competition was supposed to kick off at 9:00pm (1900 GMT) but was pushed back due to the queues of mainly Liverpool fans who could not get into the ground.