Liverpool fans unable to get to European final

LIVERPOOL FANS whose flights to watch their side in the Champions League final with Real Madrid in Ukraine were cancelled face bitter disappointment after the city’s mayor said he had been unable to resolve the “utter shambles” in time.

Almost 1,000 supporters face missing the game of a lifetime after operator Worldchoice Sports cancelled three flights because it did not have sufficient landing slots at Boryspil Airport.

Joe Anderson said he was working with Kiev’s mayor – former boxer Vitali Klitschko – and airlines to find a solution for all those who face missing out, but sent an update on Wednesday afternoon saying he was “gutted” he was unable to find a solution.

He wrote on Twitter: “Hugely disappointed that our efforts to sort #LFC fan flights has not worked @Vitaliy_Klychko & airport directors did all possible with landing slots and planes but not able to get over the line. Frustrated by utter shambles faced by loyal fans. The company has said it can’t resolve it, we have to respect that. Gutted we got so close.”

He posted several messages on Twitter on Thursday and yesterday promising he was trying to find a solution to the fiasco by sourcing a carrier to provide flights from John Lennon airport.

Around noon yesterday he tweeted a video of himself promising that he and his team were working to find an airline with a spare aircraft.

But at 4pm he was forced to admit that a plan he had hatched with Klitschko looked domed to failure.

He said: “No final decision yet but really not looking good – unable to resolve flight situation. With support of @Vitaliy_Klychko, #Kievairport & carrier we had plane & landing slot but crew were coming from the USA and crew rest time a huge barrier. Time against us.”

Previously he said his office was in talks with a carrier that could possibly lay on two or three flights from Liverpool to Kiev today, arriving in the early evening.

Liverpool announced that anyone who bought match tickets direct from the club who was due to be on one of the cancelled flights would get a refund.

Worldchoice Sports said due to so many flights heading to Ukraine, Boryspil Airport had been unable to allocate times for the three planes.