Sir Kenny Dalglish has joined heavy criticism of UEFA and the French authorities for the “absolute joke” in their treatment of Liverpool fans at the Stade de France.
The 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final has been rendered insignificant following the horrific scenes outside the Stade de France on Saturday night.
Large numbers of Liverpool fans were kept out of the stadium and tear-gassed as UEFA claimed a 36-minute delay to kickoff was due to “late arrivals.”
In reality, thousands of fans who were denied entry had arrived over two hours before the scheduled time, and instead the ineptitude and sheer arrogance of those in charge caused the situation.
Andy Robertson has revealed that a friend of his was told the club-issued ticket he had been given was “fake,” while Joel Matip‘s brother and pregnant sister-in-law were forced to flee as police deployed tear gas through fences.
There were countless instances of similar, with Dalglish’s daughter, Sky Sports presenter Kelly Cates, caught up in the chaos, while Jason McAteer’s wife and son were assaulted outside the ground.
Dalglish, who before kickoff laid a wreath in memory of the 39 supporters who lost their lives in the Heysel tragedy in 1985, was among the ex-Liverpool players and family members who took to Twitter to admonish UEFA and the French police.
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
— Sir Kenny Dalglish (@kennethdalglish) May 29, 2022
Absolute shambolic organisation last night, and no doubt the point scoring on here will carry on, fans tear gassed , young and old sobbing , fans there in plenty of time .. my son/family caught in middle, witnessed it all .. genuinely terrified seeing it unfold
— Robbie Fowler (@Robbie9Fowler) May 29, 2022
Post-match last night was the scariest I’ve ever experienced. Organised gangs set about mugging departing fans. We ran a gauntlet of thuggery on our way to the Metro. Not a police officer in sight. Witnessed so many ambush attacks on unsuspecting attendees. Reprehensible @UEFA
— Jim Beglin (@jimbeglin) May 29, 2022
Last night was disgusting. My son attacked my wife mugged @UEFAcom very accountable as well as ground stewards and French police. Hope everyone is getting out of this shitshow safely. #LFC #LFCFamily
— Jason Mcateer (@MCATEER4) May 29, 2022
I’m not sure it’s possible to have a more poorly organised event if you tried. Absolutely shambolic and dangerous. @UEFAcom
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 28, 2022
Disgraceful scenes outside the stadium. “Late arrival of fans” should read “horrendous organization”. Fans have been here for hours. Stadium operations incapable of managing flow and access. Victim blaming at its very best…
— Peter Moore (@PeterMooreLFC) May 28, 2022
Tough one to take last night but credit to Real Madrid, their name was on the cup after the CL run they’ve been on. @LFC have lost 4/63 this season so you can’t really ask for much more than that. Friends & family tear gassed on the way out, shocking set up @UEFA
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) May 29, 2022
Well done this from LFC supporting his supporters and hopefully the truth come out because is unacceptable what happens yesterday and how the LFC fans were treated by the police and people that work in the stadium ????
— José enrique (@Jesanchez3) May 29, 2022
https://twitter.com/DalglishPaul/status/1530672304513875971
https://twitter.com/KellyCates/status/1530628020679196674
It is a shocking situation that only gets worse as more stories come to light, with Liverpool having already demanded an investigation into the treatment of fans.
“We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France,” a club statement reads.
“This is the greatest match in European football and supporters should not have to experience the scenes we have witnessed tonight.
“We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues.”
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