Liverpool inundated with fans’ Paris horror stories

LIVERPOOL have received more than 5,000 first-hand testimonies from supporters, with their experiences at the Champions League final in Paris on Saturday being described as ‘horrific’. Anfield officials are going to huge lengths to compile evidence of how heavy-handed the French police were at the Stade de France, and how shocking organisation led to Liverpool fans being put in grave danger. A concerning new detail is the demographic of those who were brutally treated, including people with disabilities.

Though UEFA announced on Monday that they have commissioned an independent review, Liverpool are conducting their own investigation and have set up a database for fans to get in touch. The club have been staggered by the number of responses they received in the first 24 hours. Billy Hogan, the club’s chief executive, has read many of the accounts and is appalled by them. Hogan said: ‘Honestly, I’m horrified by the way some men, women, children — able-bodied, less ablebodied — have been indiscriminately treated over the course of Saturday. ‘We want to gather real evidence of what happened both prior and post-kickoff. I do think it’s important to recognise we’ve all been rightly focused on the access issues at Stade de France. I think it’s also important we don’t lose sight of what happened after the match. ‘We’ve all seen videos, photos. I’ve read a number of stories of absolutely horrific experiences leaving the stadium as well — crimes being committed and muggings taking place. Nobody should experience what our fans experienced before or after the match. ‘In our minds, obviously this is unacceptable.’ Sportsmail has spoken to many fans who had gone to Paris for what should have been the trip of a lifetime, but accounts have been overwhelmingly negative — including a father and son who were at the fan park six miles from the stadium and were teargassed for no reason at the final whistle. The way the French government have tried to create a narrative that Liverpool fans were responsible for causing the chaos has enraged Hogan, so much so that chairman Tom Werner wrote to French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera demanding an apology. It has not been all confrontational from leading French politicians and yesterday Richard Bouigue, deputy mayor of the 12th arrondissement in Paris where the Liverpool fan zone was, wrote to leading fan group Spirit of Shankly to express his dismay about the events. Bouigue was shocked about the dysfunctional organisation at the Stade de France and confirmed that hosting 45,000 fans in the 12th arrondissement had not led to any trouble at all. This is partly why Liverpool are so determined to act after the unsavoury scenes. ‘We have had over 5,000 forms completed and submitted, which is really astounding,’ said Hogan. ‘It has been incredibly difficult to read some of the experiences. It’s incredibly important that everyone keeps talking and sharing their experiences. ‘Once we know that the independent investigation is under way, it’s important everybody contributes as much evidence as possible.’