'Shocking' scenes as Liverpool fans are tear gassed by French police

A lack of organisation was blamed for what was described as 'shocking and shambolic' scenes outside the Stade de France, with French police reported to have used tear gas in a bid to control the escalating situation.

Long queues formed and the Liverpool end was noticeably patchy less than half an hour before kick-off as supporters struggled to get in.

Fans were seen up against the fence shouting at people to sort the situation out and let them in

The stadium announcer confirmed at 8.46pm local time – 14 minutes before kick-off – that the start of the Champions League final had been delayed.

Liverpool players re-emerged to warm-up at 9.06pm local time – six minutes after the scheduled kick-off. Real Madrid players began to follow shortly after.

UEFA said the delay was due to “security reasons” but the Stade de France screens claimed it was “due to the late arrival of fans”.

Liverpool issued a statement about the issues before the game that resulted in kick off being delayed and fans being unable to get into the stadium on time:

"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.

"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 also released a statement that read: "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.

"This created a build-up of fans trying to get in. As a result, the kick-off was delayed by 35 minutes to allow as many fans as possible with genuine tickets to gain access.

"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."