PARIS, FRANCE - Saturday, May 28, 2022: French riot police with tear gas guns inside the stadium during the UEFA Champions League Final game between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF at the Stade de France. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Dalglish leads criticism of UEFA & French police as families mugged and attacked

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.

PARIS, FRANCE - Saturday, May 28, 2022: Liverpool's non-executive director Kenny Dalglish lays a wreath to remember the 39 victims of the Heysel Stadium Disaster in 1985 during the UEFA Champions League Final game between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF at the Stade de France. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

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.

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.”