Liverpool have demanded an apology from the French authorities for false claims they made about the Champions League final chaos.
Thousands of ticket holding supporters were pepper sprayed by police after being held in hours-long queues before the game in the Stade de France.
French interior minister Gerard Darmanin alleged that between 30,000 and 40,000 Reds fans who turned up without tickets or forgeries were at fault.
At a press conference on Monday, sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera also accused Anfield chiefs of letting supporters ‘out in the wild’ at the turnstiles.
Reds’ chairman Tom Werner has written to Dearmanin demanding an apology for his remarks, describing them as ‘irresponsible, unprofessional, and wholly disrespectful’.
Sepearately, chief executive Billy Hogan has challenged the interior minister’s claims, saying: “40,000 people was the number I heard that were at the stadium without tickets – how can that be quantified at this stage, before we’ve had an independent and transparent investigation?
“There’s also been quotes about people with fake tickets; but, again, how do we know all the facts until we’ve had an investigation?
“One fact we do know is the Champions League final should be one of the finest spectacles in football and it resulted in one of the worst experiences of many supporters’ lives.
“So, I would say that all politicians and agencies involved in this event need to wait until a full and independent investigation is concluded before attempting to shift blame.”