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Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid was delayed 30 minutes after tens of thousands fans had troubles entering the stadium.
It is estimated that a majority of those fans were Liverpool supporters. Fans were unable to enter the Stade de France due to logistical issues at various stadium entry points.
The Associated Press reported that there were sporadic instances of fans without tickets attempting to break through security at the gates and enter the stadium. The security issues caused by these fans led to delays at some of the gates.
With nearly 30 minutes left until kickoff, nearly half the Liverpool end remained empty.
Fan reports on the ground indicated that several of the gates that spectators were attempting to enter were shut, forcing thousands of spectators to funnel through just one gate. According to reports, police used tear gas fans who were attempting to enter the venue after for over an hour, many of whom reportedly had tickets but the system failure prevented them from entering.
UEFA cited “late arrival of fans” as the reason for the delay to kickoff in Paris, but there appears to be more to the story than that, as Real Madrid fans had no issue getting to their seats inside the stadium.
Five minutes after the delayed kickoff, much of the Liverpool section remained empty.
Liverpool FC released a formal statement on the issues with fan entry prior to the final on Saturday.
“We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France. This is the greatest match in European football and supporters should not have to experience the scenes we have witnessed tonight. We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues.”
Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1–0 on Saturday to lift their 14th UCL trophy.
