Liverpool fans still scarred by Champions League final six months on

Six months on from the chaos that put lives at risk at the Champions League final in Paris, there are Liverpool fans still too frightened to return to watching matches live.

Others appear to be watching their heroes "under anaesthetic" with the atmosphere at Anfield, one of football's most iconic stadiums, described as "awful" this season by local member of parliament and fan Ian Byrne.

Real Madrid's 1-0 win at the Stade de France on May 28 was overshadowed by events surrounding European football's showpiece event.

Kick-off was delayed by 37 minutes as fans struggled to access the stadium after being funnelled into overcrowded bottlenecks on approach.

Police then fired tear gas towards thousands of supporters locked behind metal fences on the perimeter to the stadium.

For many Liverpool fans the scenes brought back memories of a crush at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 that resulted in the deaths of 97 supporters.

"I think we’re still all suffering from the after effects of the final," Joe Blott, chair of Liverpool supporters group Spirit of Shankly, told AFP.

"Many people I know and other people are struggling to get to the game now as a consequence of the crowd management.

"Them not wanting to go to the game because they've been to a game is tragic in its own way."

There were no fatalities in the French capital, but there was still a physical and mental price to pay for both the lack of organisation on the part of the authorities before the match and mudslinging towards supporters in the aftermath.

"So many people are still damaged by what they experienced," said Byrne.

"I think the atmosphere at Anfield is reflective of that. It’s been awful this season and that’s not down to the football, it’s been really strange.

"I feel people