View Single Post
Old 06-04-2007, 07:05 AM   #1 (permalink)
Dmac
Trent Barrett ftW!
Dmac's Avatar
 
Status: Offline
Join Date: Nov 2006
My Local Time: 10:15 AM
Location: Stoke-on-Trent, England
Posts: 1,679
vBookie Cash: 11100
Casino Cash: $268
Rep Power: 4 Dmac is the Hardcore ChampionDmac is the Hardcore Champion

Points: 7,641, Level: 37
Points: 7,641, Level: 37 Points: 7,641, Level: 37 Points: 7,641, Level: 37
Activity: 0%
Activity: 0% Activity: 0% Activity: 0%

Awards Showcase

Best Thread Starter 
Total Awards: 1
Reds fans labelled Europe's worst

Reds fans labelled Europe's worst



A damning report by European football's governing body says Liverpool fans are the worst-behaved in Europe.

Uefa says Reds fans have been involved in more incidents in Europe during the past four years than any other club.

Ticketless fans caused trouble at May's Champions League final, although the club criticised security at the game.

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard said: "That was just the latest example. What other fans steal tickets from fellow fans or from the hands of children?"

Uefa's report will be handed to sports minister Richard Caborn on Tuesday.

In it, Uefa paints a damning picture of the Anfield club's supporters' behaviour at the Champions League final against AC Milan in Athens, which the Italian side won 2-1.

Gaillard added: "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."

Liverpool have sent their own report to Uefa complaining about lax security measures at the final.

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said: "The shortcomings in the management of the situation in Athens were apparent to anyone who was there.

"This latest statement from Uefa should not deflect attention from that reality."

Many supporters with forged tickets or no tickets at all managed to gain access to the stadium.

Disorder broke out before kick-off when fans were held back because of congestion outside the ground.

Police told fans going through the penultimate checkpoint to slow down or even stop moving, then riot police formed a line to stop other fans joining queues to move through the checkpoint.

Former Conservative leader and Liverpool fan Michael Howard was at the game and said ticket checks at the stadium were "a joke".

Fans were already aggrieved over Uefa's ticket allocation for the Champions League final, with the governing body making 17,000 tickets available to each club for a stadium that had a capacity of 63,000.

Of those tickets, Liverpool were able to make just 11,000 available to fans because of obligations to sponsors and former players.

But Gaillard said: "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."

But the city of Liverpool hit back at Uefa's criticism.

Lord Mayor Paul Clark was quoted in the Liverpool Daily Post as saying: "Uefa appear to be trying to avoid the blame for the disorganisation of the final."

Les Lawson, spokesman for the official LFC supporters' club, said: "This is typical of Uefa. Rather than look at their own shortcomings, they want to shove the blame somewhere else.

"The fact they are not willing to stand up and take responsibility is worrying for fans, because that means they will never learn from their mistakes."

Council leader Warren Bradley said: "Uefa is dragging Liverpool's name through the mud to deflect attention from themselves.

"There should be a full and appropriate investigation. There is very little information about what actually went wrong.

"It was only a small minority who caused problems but the people at the top of Uefa think they have the divine right to criticise people."

Phil Hammond, of the Hillsborough Justice Support Group, added: "We condemn the behaviour of some fans, but it was not helped by the way the police acted, they made it worse. Uefa are not justified in making these comments."

Andy Knott from the Liverpool fanzine Red All Over told BBC Radio Five Live that both the fans and the authorities were to blame for what happened in Europe this season.

He said: "It's a culmination of everything. The Liverpool fans weren't innocent and a lot of them have got to have a look at themselves and take that into account.

"But at the same time Uefa have got to look at it and instead of trying to give token games to people with big stadiums, they've got to do it in a proper way.

"I mean how you can have a football ground without a turnstile - where it's just a metal gate that opens and you walk through - its just not football is it?"

Ahead of the final in Athens, Uefa president Michel Platini said: "I am convinced that both Liverpool and Milan fans will contribute to making the Athens final a landmark in festive behaviour.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank and praise the fans who have attended the semi-finals for creating such a wonderful atmosphere at the matches.

"They have contributed in a positive manner to making the semi-finals such an exciting spectacle."

Credit - BBC Sport

Haha, good ol' scousers.

--------------------------------

--------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------
  Reply With Quote