Claims That There Were '40,000 Fake Liverpool Champions League Tickets' Have Been Exposed

Claims that there were "30,000 to 40,000" fake tickets at the Champions League final have been exposed in a new report.

The game at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb, was overshadowed by the horrific treatment Liverpool fans received.

Innocent supporters were tear-gassed and pepper sprayed by riot police as they spent around an hour and half crammed in a small bottleneck while queuing up for the turnstiles.

It led to a delayed kick-off for the clash with Real Madrid.

UEFA had said the chaos was caused by Liverpool fans with fake tickets and the same spin was put on the madness by French officials.

In a press conference, Gerald Darmanin, France's interior minister, had claimed that as many as 70 percent of Champions League final tickets were counterfeit.

In addition, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French sports minister said the number was "30,000 to 40,000" and was also quoted as saying that Liverpool supporters carried a "very specific risk” when speaking to lawmakers.

She also said security guards believed their machines to validate tickets were not working correctly due to the amount of forgeries.

But the New York Times have uncovered the figures have been inflated and that there were only 2,589 fake tickets confiscated by stewards working on the gates outside the ground.

The figure has been carefully reviewed by the outlet, who say there is no official source named for the estimates noted by French officials.

It's believed the number of counterfeit tickets is three times higher than the usual figure from Champions League finals.

There was also the issue of local youths gaining entry to the stadium, with 4,000 potentially getting in without a ticket as per estimates.

Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson branded the organisation for the final "a shambles" and revealed one of his friends was told his ticket was fake.

This was despite the ticket coming directly from Robertson himself.

Unlike Real Madrid who had electronic tickets, Liverpool's 23,000 allocation was made up of paper tickets which required a confirmation from a chemical pen and then a laser engraving of the Champions League trophy for the second validation.

Investigations into the events are ongoing, while Liverpool have announced they are offering mental health support for those affected by what unfolded.

Featured Image Credit: Image: PA

Topics: Liverpool, Champions League, Real Madrid, France

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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