Liverpool stars angry at UEFA as row breaks out ahead of Champions League final

Liverpool's players are upset at not being allowed to bring their families onto the pitch if they win the Champions League final, according to reports in Spain.

The Reds are set to take on Real Madrid in Paris, where they will seek revenge for events four years ago in Kyiv. Back then, the Spanish side won 3-1 thanks to two Loris Karius mistakes and a stunning goal from Gareth Bale. When Liverpool won the competition 12 months later in Madrid, their players were able to celebrate with their partners and children on the pitch. However, UEFA appear to have ruled out similar scenes at the Stade de France.

According to Marca, Liverpool's players are upset and angry at the measures taken by European football's governing body ahead of the 2022 final. The report claims "security concerns" have been cited in explaining the decision, which has caused a row in the run-up to the game.

Marca also cites "tensions" over the size of Liverpool's allocation for friends and family of players, which they say has been capped to allow as many fans as possible to attend the final. However, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has spoken out about the allocation offered to fans of both clubs after each side was limited to less than a quarter of the stadium's 81,000 capacity.

"When you see the ticket prices and the amount of tickets you get... is it right?" the German asked "Is it right we only get 20,000 [tickets], Real get 20,000 and there's 75,000 in? That makes 35,000. What?? Where are these tickets [going]?"

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Fans of both clubs have been making their way to Paris over the course of the week. The game was originally given to St Petersburg, but UEFA took the decision to relocate the game amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Some Reds fans even travelled to France by dinghy, and supporters have made the journey from as far away as the United States. Officials expect up to 60,000 Liverpool fans to be in Paris for the game, even if they won't all be able to get tickets for the game.

In the hours before kick-off, groups of supporters were filmed singing in the French capital.

Liverpool enter the final having already won two trophies this season, beating Chelsea in both domestic cup finals. They have won 10 of their 12 matches in the competitions so far, including all six group games and the first legs of each of their knockout games.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, had a bumpier route to the final. They were forced to overturn a first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 before requiring extra-time against Chelsea in the quarter-finals and Manchester City in the semis.

In addition to winning the 2018 final, Real Madrid also beat Liverpool over two legs in the 2021 quarter-finals. Two goals from Vinicius Jr and one from Marco Asensio gave them a 3-1 first-leg lead, with Mohamed Salah scoring for the Premier League side, while the return game at Anfield ended goalless.