Platini sets the record straight

Jun 6 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL fans are NOT the worst behaved in Europe, UEFA president Michel Platini has officially announced.

In a complete contradiction of statements attributed to UEFA officials last week, Platini yesterday moved to set the record straight and said: “No they are not, it’s official. They are not the worst behaved in Europe.”

Platini was speaking after a meeting with British sports minister Richard Caborn, during which he handed over a report into security problems at last month’s Champions’ League final between Liverpool and AC Milan.

UEFA had blamed Liverpool fans for causing the majority of the problems before the match, alleging that hundreds of English fans who had no tickets or forged tickets forced their way into the stadium in Athens.

But Mr Caborn’s spokesperson, who accompanied the minister to the meeting, last night said the report did not contain the expected list of the 25 alleged incidents that Liverpool fans had reportedly been involved in at away matches in the last four years.

He said: “These incidents are not listed in the report.

“UEFA gave us the report in confidence and we are going to respect that, but there is certainly no list of incidents in this report.”

UEFA spokesman William Gaillard had said it was these 25 incidents that made Liverpool fans the worst behaved among followers of clubs in European competition, but had refused to outline the incidents.

Mr Gaillard had also admitted that the report, complied for UEFA by undercover police, did not consider the severity of these incidents.

Last night, Liverpool’s new co-owner Tom Hicks said Mr Gaillard was “a clown” for piling blame on the Anfield club’s fans for the problems at the Champions’ League final.

“I thought the guy from UEFA was a clown for saying that,” Mr Hicks said.“To give 17,000 tickets to the two teams, particularly knowing Liverpool is going to bring 40,000 fans, is insane.

“I think it is a classic case of a bureaucrat trying to take pressure off himself.”

Following yesterday’s meeting in Brussels, UEFA agreed to use English expertise to try to avoid the problems encountered with Liverpool and Manchester United fans in the Champions League this season.

A working party will be set up by UEFA to look into suitable venues for major European finals and Mr Caborn has offered them help from the Football Licensing Authority, the body set up in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster.

Mr Caborn said: “We want to learn from the past and make sure we can have safe grounds for supporters.”

carolineinnes