Not liking the reports coming out from Athens

[Rich]

I'd like to thank everybody that's taken the time to post about there experiences yesterday.

[disco]

Cheers Locolaw - shame your day was soured after what sounded like a fun build-up.

[lfcruleus]

Thanks for the post mate.

What was going on that made you ashamed to be a Liverpool fan?

fellow lfc fans nicking others tickets, racism, anyone not from liverpool shouldnt be there ****, especially the welsh apparantly ( i'd had a few and nearly lost my rag like i hadnt for 15 years), pushing women and kids about and nearly giving us another moment of tragedy.
I actually wasnt that arsed about the game in the end shame really.

One thing someone should ask is if our fans are so innocent in all this why was there no trouble at the other end.
Also i got caught in my colours on my own amongst about 50 of thier Ultras chanting random italian stuff, but they were all smiles.

[disco]

I'd like to thank everybody that's taken the time to post about there experiences yesterday.

Me too

Although it's making me very angry about police, loads of idiot fans, Uefa, the referee, Insaghi, everyone

[alunevans]

I've just got back in to stanstead.

I've still got my ticket, stub included, never checked properly by anyone.

The organisatio was a disgrace, and playing a game at a ground without turnstyles is ****ing stupid.

There were plenty turned away with valid tickets, and plenty who got in with a ****ing photocopy.

With the allocation we had and the excitement of the game, there was always gonna be scallies turning up to blag in, but it would never have come to what it did if there was anyone checking a ****ing ticket.

I can't help but think that the bad elements must have been encouraged by just how many tickets would be available on the black market.

There was none of this in Istanbul.

Perhaps these kind of predator reds felt that it was likely to be mayhem over there and they'd be good conditions for them.

If all tickets went through the club I don't believe this would happen to the same extent.

Still sad that "Reds" prey on other Reds though nonetheless.

[Ron_Mexico]

it's hard to read all these accounts of honest people getting ripped off and abused. the greeks, the scum element of our own fans, uefa, all share some of the blame.

uefa will deflect all the blame to the fans, no doubt about it, we'll probably get fined but that doesn't change the fact that they created these situations with their lack of foresight. anyone who had ever been involved in a large event should surely have known the problems their Athens setup would cause. unbelievable. they knew there were that many Reds traveling and ticketless because they saw to that with their weak allocation...yet they backed off and did nothing. pathetic isnt even the word...

the greeks need to shoulder a large large portion of the blame, the organisation was a disgrace from all accounts, and it was overseen by uefa. the amount of people who got in with no tickets, forged tickets, etc would never happen in a better setting. can imagine any of this happening in germany for example?

[dom9]

Loco - That is just nuts. Thanks for sharing.

Here is UEFAs response on the BBC:


Uefa has blamed Liverpool fans for the problems before Wednesday's Champions League final against AC Milan.
Riot police in Athens used tear gas and batons outside the Olympic Stadium as fans were turned away because they were told the stadium was already full.

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard said: "The behaviour of the Liverpool fans is in the end responsible for the problems that took place before the game."

The British Embassy in Athens vowed to take up the matter.


Interview: Uefa spokesman William Gaillard

606: DEBATE
Who was to blame for the problems?

Simon Gass, the British ambassador to Greece, told BBC Radio Five Live: "The organisers had a plan which involved three cordons to try to ensure that people who didn't have tickets were not able to get into the stadium.

"Clearly there was some element of breakdown where those fake tickets appeared to be legitimate - that's something Uefa must look at.

"The vast majority of fans with proper tickets got in but even if a small minority did not, that's not satisfactory."

Sports minister Richard Caborn will raise the problems with Uefa president Michel Platini at a meeting in two weeks.

He said: "I have a lot of sympathy with the Liverpool fans who paid their hard-earned money for genuine tickets but couldn't get into the ground.

"The reasons for this need an urgent explanation. We have already raised the matter with the Greek authorities through our embassy in Athens and government officials are also talking with Uefa.

"I will also be putting this issue high on the agenda at a meeting I am to have with Michel Platini in Brussels in two weeks."

Disorder broke out before kick-off when fans were held back because of congestion outside the ground.

Police told fans going through the penultimate checkpoint to slow down or even stop moving, then riot police formed a line to stop other fans joining queues to move through the checkpoint.

The Milan supporters didn't face the same problems because they didn't behave in the same way

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard

They were then told they would not be allowed in as the ground was full because fans with forged tickets, or without tickets at all, had managed to get past security.

Gaillard told BBC Radio Five Live: "The behaviour of the supporters before the game made it extremely difficult for the police who didn't want to use brutal methods and they have to be praised for that.

"To control the fact that so many fake tickets were around as we warned but this was all done in Britain."

Former Conservative leader Michael Howard was at the game - which Liverpool lost 2-1 - and he said: "I didn't think the match should have been held at the stadium.

"It's not a football stadium and is not equipped to cope with that number of people.

"Ticket checks were a joke. Many people with valid tickets were not allowed in.

"That is not acceptable and Uefa really need to look at their procedures and make sure everything is all in order.

"As far as I'm aware no-one was hurt, and that's a mercy, but it's no thanks to the Greek authorities, and I'm afraid there was a large measure of incompetence."

606: DEBATE
I was at the game with a valid ticket with my two sons and we went through seven police/steward checks. Not one check was for authenticity and our tickets are intact

LI

But Gaillard responded: "It is very easy to say it is not a suitable stadium, coming from the man that invented the poll tax.

"The Milan supporters didn't face the same problems because they didn't behave in the same way.

"The kind of pushing that was going on and the attempts to jump over barriers - imagine if we had turnstiles, we could have had a tragedy.

"More than three hours before the game there were incidents at the Liverpool end with people trying to get in either with fake tickets or jumping over the barriers.

"It is obvious that at one point the police felt overwhelmed and it is much to their credit there were no dangerous incidents.

"I am very sorry for what happened to fans who had regular tickets but at the same time there is a collective responsibility in terms of behaviour.

"This area was all for Liverpool fans and the bulk were obviously extremely honest people who had got tickets in the right way and observed the rules.

"But unfortunately because of a minority who did not they found themselves in a very uncomfortable and unpleasant position."

Gaillard defended Uefa against any responsibility for the problems, adding: "The only responsibility we could have is that we did not choose a stadium with 250,000 seats, but unfortunately they do not exist."

[Rich]

Can you imagine what would have happened out there if United had made it through too

[dom9]

I am gald the Government are involved now.

Its about time UEFA, FIFA and the FA got their acts in order.

I still find the behaviour of some fellow 'reds' dispicable though.

No excuses.

[dom9]

Can you imagine what would have happened out there if United had made it through too

I shudder to think

[alunevans]

Loco,

Ta for that report. Sounds horrendously badly run!

[Marky]

No point in blaming anyone but those moron Liverpool fans(so called) that had no ticktets but forced there way into the ground, or at least attempted.
I'm disgusted. Brings big shame on the club.

[TheStig]

Can you imagine what would have happened out there if United had made it through too

Was thinking that to myself earlier.

Doesn't really bare thinking about .

[alunevans]

fellow lfc fans nicking others tickets, racism, anyone not from liverpool shouldnt be there ****, especially the welsh apparantly ( i'd had a few and nearly lost my rag like i hadnt for 15 years), pushing women and kids about and nearly giving us another moment of tragedy.
I actually wasnt that arsed about the game in the end shame really.

cheers mate. was an honest question. sounds horrendous.

i honestly reckon that once you promote a black market then every nogooder will creep up from touts, to forgers, to our own sinister element who will feel better equipped to win out in a free for all.

[alunevans]

Can you imagine what would have happened out there if United had made it through too

there'd have been fighting inside in my view because the fact that the bulk of the tickets were on the black market would guarantee no segregation whatsoever.