Fans hit back at UEFA claims

Liverpool fans, from the Lord Mayor of the city to the leader of the supporters' group, have attacked UEFA's declaration that the Anfield club have the worst fans in Europe.

The claims will come in a UEFA report to be handed to the Government in the wake of the shameful scenes in Athens at the Champions League final when Liverpool fans were accused of stealing tickets from their fellow supporters, charging the gates to get into the ground without tickets and causing trouble outside the stadium which ended with tear gas being used.

But Liverpool's Lord Mayor Paul Clark has hit back in the Liverpool Daily Post, saying: "UEFA appear to be trying to avoid the blame for the disorganisation of the final. To make matters worse, instead of looking at their own faults UEFA are blaming the people of Liverpool. Saying this is typical of Liverpool fans is unfair and reflects badly on the image of the city."

UEFA, in the wake of Anfield complaints over the way they handled ticket allocation and match security on the night, have hit back with a dossier claiming to show 25 incidents involving Liverpool fans since 2003 in Europe - more than any other club.

Les Lawson, spokesman for the official LFC supporters' club, said: "This is typical of UEFA. Rather than look at their own shortcomings, they want to shove the blame somewhere else. The fact they are not willing to stand up and take responsibility is worrying for fans, because that means they will never learn from their mistakes."

Council leader Warren Bradley said: "UEFA is dragging Liverpool's name through the mud to deflect attention from themselves. Big governing bodies like UEFA always look for scapegoats and never accept any blame.

"There should be a full and appropriate investigation. There is very little information about what actually went wrong. It was only a small minority who caused problems but the people at the top of UEFA think they have the divine right to criticise people."

Phil Hammond, of the Hillsborough Justice Support Group, added: "We condemn the behaviour of some fans, but it was not helped by the way the police acted, they made it worse. UEFA are not justified in making these comments."

A Liverpool FC spokesman said: "The shortcomings in the management of the situation in Athens was apparent to anyone who was there. These latest comments from UEFA should not deflect attention from the reality."

The club produced their own report ahead of the final, warning UEFA of potential problems caused by ticket allocation and what could happen with fans travelling without tickets.