UEFA report severely reprimands Liverpool fans
LONDON: Liverpool supporters have been identified as the worst behaved at European matches in a report to be handed by UEFA to the British Government in Brussels yesterday.
The report, which has been compiled by undercover police agents from a neutral European force over the last four years, will be given by UEFA president Michel Platini to British sports minister Richard Caborn.
UEFA spokesman William Gaillard said: "The incidents involving Liverpool fans have been well known to us before the trouble at the Champions League final which involved Liverpool fans last week.
"That was just the latest example. What other set of fans steal tickets from their fellow supporters or out of the hands of children? We know what happened in Athens, and Liverpool fans were the cause of most of the trouble there.
"There have been 25 incidents involving Liverpool fans away from home since 2003 and these are in the report - most teams' supporters do not cause any trouble at all."
Problems occurred at the Champions League final when fans with forged tickets and even without any ticket gained entry to the Olympic Stadium for the match against AC Milan, while dozens of fans with genuine tickets were refused entry.
When Liverpool fans did try to gain entry the situation threatened to escalate out of control and the Greek police fired tear gas and used batons.
Liverpool have submitted their own report to UEFA which criticizes the security arrangements for the final.
Gaillard added: "You must ask yourself why at the same match, with the same conditions, there was no trouble with the Milan fans - only the Liverpool fans."
Liverpool fans were held responsible for the disaster at the 1985 European Cup final at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels when 39 mainly Italian fans died after a wall collapsed following a charge by Liverpool fans before the match against Juventus. The tragedy led to English clubs being banned from European competition for five years.
Agencies
(China Daily 06/05/2007 page23)
