UEFA blame fake tickets for fan disruption as Liverpool call for investigation

UEFA's showpiece event was delayed for 36 minutes after French police held Reds supporters outside the Stade de France and used tear gas and pepper spray.

With fans left shaken by events in the build-up to the match, which ended 1-0 to Madrid, the Reds released a statement stating that they've requested a formal investigation into the causes of the events.

The statement read: "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.

"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."

UEFA also released a statement and revealed that the unsavory scenes were due to thousands of fans trying to attend the match with fake tickets.

They said: "In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles.

"This created a build-up of fans trying to get in.

"As a result, the kick off was delayed by 35 minutes to allow as many fans as possible with genuine tickets to gain access.

"As numbers outside the stadium continued to build up after kick off, the police dispersed them with tear gas and forced them away from the stadium.

"UEFA is sympathetic to those affected by these events and will further review these matters urgently together with the French police and authorities, and with the French Football Federation."

Along with plenty of high-profile broadcasters, journalists and supporters, Adrian Durham was furious with what had happened outside of the stadium, saying that UEFA's decision to blame supporters for what had happened was 'dangerous'.

He said: "It's quite a big message to get wrong, it's a dangerous one.

"It's a damning allegation because the allegation is that due to the late arrival of fans, the match has been delayed.

"The allegation is that this is the supporters' fault. It's not the authorities', it's not UEFA, it's not the police, it's the supporters.

"It's hitting the supporters with a big stick again, like you always do.

"It's not the supporters. As we understand it, it can't conceivably take more than two hours from arriving at the stadium to getting in.

"That is not the late arrival of supporters, that is mismanagement."