UEFA pre-prepared their statement blaming a ‘late arrival of fans’ at the Champions League final before the day of the game.
Chaotic scenes outside the turnstiles at the Stade de France saw May’s showpiece between Liverpool and Real Madrid delayed by 36 minutes.
Many supporters of Jurgen Klopp’s side found themselves pepper sprayed by the local police force patrolling the entrance gates to the stadium itself.
A message displayed on the screens in Paris claimed that the kick-off had been pushed back as a result of supporters turning up late to the game.
UEFA later apologised to Liverpool and Madrid fans caught up in the traumatic event and ordered a probe into how it had unfolded in Paris four months ago.
But The Guardian has revealed that European football’s governing body had drafted the line about late arrivals ‘a considerable time’ before May 28.
Ian Byrne, the Walton MP who attended the match as a supporter, said: “I find it truly shocking and horrifying to hear that Uefa – the confederation of Europe’s national football associations including the English FA – had a pre-prepared statement blaming supporters, as a standard explanation for a kick-off delay.
“To do it to Liverpool supporters after everything we’ve been through is appalling. We need full answers as to how all these decisions were made.”