Liverpool supporters prevented a disaster

A LEADING ticket fraud expert has blasted the French government and praised Liverpool fans for preventing a Champions League final disaster. Reg Walker is an independent security expert and has more than 30 years’ experience of working around major events. He has watched extensive footage from Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid and is disgusted by some of the claims made in France. Liverpool are furious that the reputation of their supporters has been called into question and are particularly incensed by claims they insisted on paper tickets for the game at the Stade de France in Paris. The issue of false tickets creating mayhem outside the stadium has grown in recent days, fuelled by claims from French interior minister Gerald Darmanin. But Walker said: ‘The very, very basics leading up to this event just seemed to be absent — no care for victims, no intelligence gathered, no preparation for people turning up with counterfeit tickets. ‘The only people you can blame for that are the organisers. ‘I’ve read online articles from senior officials in France who said, “This is nothing to do with fake tickets — this was a lack of police and the wrong police units”. ‘Let’s destroy this myth about paper tickets and Liverpool fans being at fault. ‘Paper tickets over mobile tickets would have made no difference to what took place. ‘What we do need is an honest, open, evidence-based investigation into what exactly took place, not the easy option of “blame the touts”. ‘In this instance, the touts are not to blame. This was organisation, infrastructure and people at a very high level putting out a load of misleading information. ‘It is disturbing when it is government ministers who are doing it, really disturbing.’