Liverpool have called for an investigation into the chaotic scenes before the Champions League final.
Kick-off at the Stade de France was delayed by 36 minutes as a result of safety concerns with thousands of supporters locked outside the stadium.
Security checks led to bottlenecks and police deploying pepper spray at the gates of the southwest corner allocated to supporters of Jurgen Klopp’s side.
UEFA falsely displayed in a message shown on screens inside the stadium that ‘the late arrival of fans’ had been responsible for the prolonged hold-up.
But in a statement on Saturday, Anfield chiefs have demanded European football’s governing body probe the events which led to the pre-match ordeal.
“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,” read a club statement.
Pepper spraying fans outside stadium in Paris pic.twitter.com/drgzEpR9gD
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) May 28, 2022
“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.”
UEFA issued its own statement, alleging that supporters with counterfeit tickets had caused the prolonged queues outside the turnstiles in Saint-Denis.
They said: “In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles.
“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 is sympathetic to those affected by these events and will further review these matters urgently together with the French police and authorities, and with the French Football Federation.”
Liverpool lost the final, their third of the season, to Real Madrid after Vinicius Jr scored the only goal of the game from a 58th-minute counter attack.