CONGRATULATIONS

The claims will appear in a Uefa report to be handed to the government in the wake of shameful scenes at the Champions League final in Athens. Liverpool fans are accused of stealing tickets from their fellow supporters, charging the gates to get into the ground without tickets and causing trouble outside the stadium which ended with local police using tear gas.

Now Uefa, in the wake of complaints from Anfield over the way they handled ticket allocation and match security on the night, have hit back with a dossier claiming to show 25 incidents involving Liverpool fans since 2003 in Europe – more than any other club. “What other set of fans steal tickets from their fellow supporters or out of the hands of children?” asked Uefa’s director of communications William Gaillard yesterday. “We know who caused most of the trouble in Athens.”

However, Liverpool’s lord mayor, Paul Clark, who was at the match in Athens, today hit back. “Uefa appears to be trying to avoid the blame for the disorganization of the final,” he said. “To make matters worse, instead of looking at their own faults Uefa is blaming the people of Liverpool. Saying this is typical of Liverpool fans is unfair and reflects badly on the image of the city.”

Les Lawson, spokesman for the official Liverpool FC supporters’ club, was equally angered by Uefa’s condemnation. “This is typical of Uefa,” he fumed. “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.”