Champions League Final 2007 Athens May 23rd Offical Thread

[mooncatiii]

J70 no doubt in that those who nicked tickets of other fans are total scumbags and it is they who should be classed as scumbags not liverpool fans in general!  

what happened to the ticketing policy from the world cup where all tickets chips in them and the policy was no chip no entry!  from what i have heard the stadium is not equipped to deal with such crowds entering at once,  better organisation and turnstiles would have eliminted alot of problems!  63000 is not a big enough stadium anyway in my opinion should be at least 70-75000 for such events anything less just creates more problems!

[Syd]

For all those who called liveropol supporters "scumbags" etc etc take note of this, after the final whistle on wed nite they where still there in their thousands to sing and support their team...and thsi was recognised by the milan players who came over to applaud them!!   that is what liverpool supporters are about not the very very small minority who allegedly go about stealin tickets! 

Just because i follow Liverpool does not mean you cannot comment on scummy behaviour from their fans.I follow the team/club not the people of Liverpool, i do not care if they "steal hubcaps" "eat out of bins" etc as those tools on the United thread say. I would have to say it is a minority but there is no excuse for some of that behaviour. I lived in Liverpool for a few years and would have to say there is a real persecution mentality amongst them,if someones cat dies they are out in the streets with their black armbands on singing "You will never walk alone".........

[The Real Laoislad]

For all those who called liveropol supporters "scumbags" etc etc take note of this, after the final whistle on wed nite they where still there in their thousands to sing and support their team...and thsi was recognised by the milan players who came over to applaud them!!   that is what liverpool supporters are about not the very very small minority who allegedly go about stealin tickets! 

Just because i follow Liverpool does not mean you cannot comment on scummy behaviour from their fans.I follow the team/club not the people of Liverpool, i do not care if they "steal hubcaps" "eat out of bins" etc as those tools on the United thread say. I would have to say it is a minority but there is no excuse for some of that behaviour. I lived in Liverpool for a few years and would have to say there is a real persecution mentality amongst them,if someones cat dies they are out in the streets with their black armbands on singing "You will never walk alone".........

Totally agree with Syd on that
Did anyone see the fool on Sky News where he was acutally boasting that he rammed the gates and got in,The reporter asked was he sorry for his actions and the gobshite says no that it was Uefa's fault
So next time you don't have a ticket for a FA Cup Final or All Ireland Final just force your way thru take someone else's seat that they have paid good money for and are now standing outside the ground unable to get in because the stadium is full,and then blame it all on the Uefa or Gaa or whatever sporting body it may be because sure how could it be your fault

[mooncatiii]

Syd i have not tried to excuse that type of behaviour my point al along is about has been a generalisation of liverpool fans being scumbags! which is harsh considering it was only a small minority that was involved in stealin tickets!  as for them barging the gates, well some blame goes with the fans but mostly lies with th amateur organisation frm uefa, police etc!

they could do with takin a leaf from the GAA's book i.e when matches r staged at croke any1 without a ticket does not even get near the ground!

[The Real Laoislad]

LaoisLad, this must be a first, but I agree with you, not once, not twice, but thrice in the same post. I need medication!!!!

Once

As gutted as i am i am surprised as i thought i would be more upset reason im not more upset is that i do think the future is bright and maybe this defeat will do them no harm in the long run if anything it could spur them on to greater heights

Two

I think the main aim now has to be the Premiership,Champions League is brilliant and i hope we do as well in it next year but the Premiership is what is needed to bring Liverpool back to the top

Three

As for the fans,I think it's a disgrace that some of them tried to get in without tickets,and too hear them on Sky Sports blaming UEFA etc is a joke,There could have been serious injury too people last night

Ah your only buttering me up because your afraid Laois will beat Offaly on sunday

[magpie seanie]

as for them barging the gates, well some blame goes with the fans but mostly lies with th amateur organisation frm uefa, police etc!

Pardon my ignorance but I fail to see how ticketless fans trying to ram the gates to get in is Uefa or the polices fault.

[SammyG]

as for them barging the gates, well some blame goes with the fans but mostly lies with th amateur organisation frm uefa, police etc!

Pardon my ignorance but I fail to see how ticketless fans trying to ram the gates to get in is Uefa or the polices fault.

You're confusing two different issues. Obviously anybody who charged gates/nicked tickets/used forgeries etc is 100% to blame for their own actions and should be dealt with accordingly. However the actions of UEFA/FIFA in allocating only 12000 tickets to each team and then not employing any type of id check/anti-forgery measures/stewarding etc etc etc where incompetent at best and probably negligent.

[magpie seanie]

With respect Sammy, that is not what the previous poster said. The clue is in the word "mostly".

[SammyG]

With respect Sammy, that is not what the previous poster said. The clue is in the word "mostly".

I would agree that UEFA where mostly to blame. If they had done there job properly, they would have chosen a ground with a reasonable capacity, there wouldn't have been forged tickets, there wouldn't have been scallies at the ground without tickets, there would have been proper stewarding to check tickets, the police wouldn't have been arresting and tear-gassing people who had genuine tickets and were pissed off because they were being stopped from seeing the match etc etc etc . All of those things are 100% the fault of UEFA.

[magpie seanie]

I would agree that UEFA where mostly to blame. If they had done there job properly, they would have chosen a ground with a reasonable capacity, there wouldn't have been forged tickets, there wouldn't have been scallies at the ground without tickets, there would have been proper stewarding to check tickets, the police wouldn't have been arresting and tear-gassing people who had genuine tickets and were pissed off because they were being stopped from seeing the match etc etc etc . All of those things are 100% the fault of UEFA.

I was discussing the specific phenomenon of ramming the gates which seems to be commonplace at Liverpool away Euro games (as per the eye witness report of the Liverpool fan) but you are referring to the generality of the situation. Anyway, as it goes, I'll answer you.

The ground had a 70k capacity. Only Wembley and the Nou Camp are significantly bigger. Forged tickets - how can this be UEFA's fault? Scallies at the ground without tickets - how can this be UEFA's fault?

[SammyG]

I was discussing the specific phenomenon of ramming the gates which seems to be commonplace at Liverpool away Euro games (as per the eye witness report of the Liverpool fan) but you are referring to the generality of the situation. Anyway, as it goes, I'll answer you.

I ansered that in my previous post. I agree 100% that the sc**bag element should be dealt with.

The ground had a 70k capacity. Only Wembley and the Nou Camp are significantly bigger.

The ground has a 60K capacity of which 24K went to fans (12K to each team) and the rest went to sponsors/families/UEFA reps/hangers-on/etc etc etc

Forged tickets - how can this be UEFA's fault?

2 reasons, firstly they made no attempt to put any anti-forgery methods into the tickets (FFS even the IFA use holograms and UV pictures on their tickets), secondly they had totally inadequate stewarding and nobody to check whether the tickets were genuine or not (a 5live reporter claims that people where allowed through after the waved some photocopied pieces of paper!!!!)

Scallies at the ground without tickets - how can this be UEFA's fault?

It is UEFA's responsibility to police the ground and ticketing. It would have been very easy to put a ring round the stadium and only let people onto the stadium concourse if they had a valid ticket, as is done at most big matches. There should then have been turnstyles and a further ticket check before entering the ground, rather then just gates that people could wander through. UEFA did neither of these things, so allowing any fcukwit who wanted to get through.

[GalwayBayBoy]

I would agree that UEFA where mostly to blame. If they had done there job properly, they would have chosen a ground with a reasonable capacity, there wouldn't have been forged tickets, there wouldn't have been scallies at the ground without tickets, there would have been proper stewarding to check tickets, the police wouldn't have been arresting and tear-gassing people who had genuine tickets and were pissed off because they were being stopped from seeing the match etc etc etc . All of those things are 100% the fault of UEFA.

I was discussing the specific phenomenon of ramming the gates which seems to be commonplace at Liverpool away Euro games (as per the eye witness report of the Liverpool fan) but you are referring to the generality of the situation. Anyway, as it goes, I'll answer you.

The ground had a 70k capacity. Only Wembley and the Nou Camp are significantly bigger. Forged tickets - how can this be UEFA's fault? Scallies at the ground without tickets - how can this be UEFA's fault?

Overlooking the fact of Man U's troubles in Lille in a similiar situation when their fans were getting crushed up against the fence at the front as many of their supporters had gotten into the wrong section either by themselves or though being shepherded into the wrong area by stewards. Something that is familiar to any Liverpool fan after Hillsborough.

Firstly the stadium in Athens isn't even a football ground. It's an athletics stadium. It has no turnstiles. The security screening at the ground was utterly shambolic with many people getting in with forged tickets (some knowing they were forged, many not knowing) and others getting in with folded up UEFA flyers and even one chap getting in by flashing his bank card. Of course this led to the ground being full and security stopping many fans outside the ground with valid tickets from getting in. This only added to the tension outside the ground and throw in a few gangs of drunken scallies who were willing to try and and push their way in or even rob tickets and you've got a recipe for disaster.

However had UEFA and the Greek police organised the security around the stadium properly and had a proper perimeter ring in place then nobody without a valid ticket should have got within 500 yards of the stadium let alone be allowed to mingle right outside the stadium gates.

As for the scumbags willing to try and rob tickets they deserve a good kicking frankly.

[magpie seanie]

Sorry guys - no-one is saying that UEFA/police didn't make f**k ups (they usually do, as evidenced in Lille - agreed). My point was that the pricks that rammed the gates were to blame for ramming the gates - not UEFA. This was all I was contesting with mooncat.

[AZOffaly]

I don't think there is much more to be gained here lads. I think it is generally accepted that some Liverpool fans behaved absolutely dispicabley. I think it is also accepted that UEFA/The Stadium Authorities were poorly organised.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of UEFA and the Athens messups, there is no getting away from the fact that it is absolutely, totally and completely wrong and disgusting to storm the gates of a stadium like that, especially when Liverpool have the spectre of Hillsborough always hovering over them.

Liverpool are a great club, and the huge majority of their fans are generous to opposition, knowledgeable and good craic. However there is a sizeable number of people who follow the club, who I would say are thugs. I am not going to labour the point that 'all clubs have ...' as that sometimes looks like trying to justify something, and I would not attempt to do that with any of the incidents we are speaking about here.

I say that as a Liverpool fan of 25 years and more.

[Glensman]

Hear hear AZOffaly.

Completely agree.