Liverpool fans' lives put at risk by 'abject failure' at Champions League final

Liverpool supporters' lives were put at risk by UEFA's "abject failure" at the Champions League final in Paris, a damning report said.

Fans were tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed by police after being forced into dangerous spaces as turnstiles remained closed before the Real Madrid match.

Supporters were also robbed by knife gangs near the Stade de France on May 28.

In July, a French report said local authorities had "stereotyped" Kop fans, who were at first blamed for the chaos. Some were also denied entry amid claims of fake tickets.

Now a review based on testimonies by 485 fans and reporters has led to 53 findings.

The independent panel included Prof Phil Scraton, who led a report into the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster.

Some of the key findings include:

Inadequate pre-match preparation by UEFA and the agencies in Paris

Aggressive policing and inadequate provision for crowd safety, and

Unprovoked assaults on fans by the police and local gangs;

The report added: "Fortuitously, no one died but those injured missed their travel home. Thousands, including children, have been left traumatised."

Prof Scraton hit out at the "debacle" that also affected disabled fans.

He said: "Responsibility for the collapse in authority, management and safety lies with those organising the event."

Prof Lucy Easthope, of the University of Durham, added: "Lives were put at risk by a collective, operational failure to implement a comprehensive stadium safety management plan."

Prof Phil Scraton appeared on BBC1 Panorama's The Champions League Final: What went Wrong? last night.