PARIS - Liverpool chairperson Tom Werner has demanded an apology over the treatment of the club's fans after the French government blamed "massive" ticket fraud for the chaotic scenes that marred Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris.
Kick-off to the match, which Real Madrid won 1-0, was delayed by 36 minutes to allow supporters extra time to access the stadium after being funnelled into overcrowded corridors and hit with tear gas and pepper spray from police. "I am writing to you today out of utter disbelief that a minister of the French government... could make a series of unproven pronouncements on a matter of such significance before a proper, formal, independent investigation process has even taken place," Werner wrote in his letter, leaked to the local Liverpool Echo newspaper.
"We had Liverpool fans who were all above board, whose evening was ruined with some even unable to watch the match," she said.European football's governing body has announced that Portuguese politician Tiago Brandao Rodrigues will head up an independent probe. In his letter, Werner called the events in Paris "incredibly dangerous for all who attended" and urged against "a blame game strategy via press conference".