Jamie Carragher has become the latest high-profile figure to slam UEFA for their handling of Saturday's Champions League final.
Before their side's agonising 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid, Liverpool supporters were tear-gassed and stranded in queues for hours outside of the Stade de France in Paris, with riot police even deployed. UEFA initially put them blame on "the late arrival of fans" before later claiming that the attempted use of fake tickets caused a blockage, forcing kick-off to be delayed three times and marring the clash between two European heavyweights.
After Kenny Dalglish, Gary Lineker, Andy Robertson and Jason McAteer criticised the governing body responsible for organising the showpiece event, club legend Carragher joined the seething outrage. The ex-Reds defender stated in his Telegraph column that whoever sanctioned the initial message - branded a "lie" - "should be identified and forced to explain on what grounds it was made."
"It can be taken as a positive that UEFA were forced to retreat from their initial explanation," Carragher wrote in an impassioned piece. "They had no choice because so many viral social media videos proved thousands of fans were being prevented from getting close to the stadium over two-and-a-half-hours before the scheduled kick-off. "
The former Anfield stalwart then went on to praise journalists and eagled-eyed social media users, who ensured that misinformation was not negligently spread, adding: "It is now the duty of Uefa and the French police to stop trying to present a dishonest picture in order to explain why it happened.
Carragher was unable to witness the distressing scenes first-hand due to his media commitments with CBS Sports - who cover the Champions League in North America - but after assessing the situation like so many through other media channels, declared that fans of all clubs must stand together to prevent authorities from abusing their power.
"As supporters, we must all put aside tribal rivalries and work together on this," he continued. "Otherwise the demonisation of football supporters will continue, and those running our game will continue to hide from their responsibility to create a safe, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for all those attending. Liverpool and Real Madrid fans were in Paris to have a great time, not cause trouble."
The UK Government are backing Liverpool's plea for UEFA to launch a "formal investigation," as Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries declared: "The footage and accounts from Liverpool fans and the media on their entry to the Stade de France last night are deeply concerning. Thousands of ticket holders travelled to Paris in good time to support their team in the biggest match of their season.
"I urge UEFA to launch a formal investigation into what went wrong and why, in coordination with stadium staff, the French Police, Federation Française de Football, Merseyside Police and Liverpool Football Club. It is in the interests of everyone involved to understand what happened and to learn lessons from these events."
