'Fake tickets' to blame for Champions League final delay, UEFA say

PARIS: European football governing body UEFA blamed "fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles" for a delay of over half an hour to the start of Saturday's (May 28) Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris.

UEFA said French police had fired tear gas to disperse thousands of frustrated fans who were building up outside the Stade de France as a result of the fake tickets issue.

But English giants Liverpool said they were "hugely disappointed" that their supporters had been subjected to an "unacceptable" breakdown of the security perimeter at France's national stadium.

The final of Europe's most prestigious club competition was supposed to kick off at 9:00pm (1900 GMT) but was pushed back due to the queues of mainly Liverpool fans who could not get into the ground.

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

"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 said they were "sympathetic" to the fans affected and would review the situation together with local police and authorities, as well as the French Football Federation.

French police sources told AFP that supporters tried to force their way through the first ticket checkpoint outside the stadium situated in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.

Tear gas was fired by police after several dozen people attempted to climb