Liverpool FC Forum

by **account deleted by request** » Sat May 26, 2007 1:51 pm

Originally Posted by Brian Reade Daily Mirror

BLAME GAME

UEFA's men in Armani duck all responsibility after Athens night of shameful contrasts

Brian Reade 26/05/2007

I SPENT three hours before the Champions League Final walking around the stadium trying to find my son and see if he'd got hold of a ticket.

The route from the press box to the Liverpool end required negotiating the rear of the sprawling VIP hospitality area. Here's a few contrasting sights. Try to guess which section was which.

In one area, a line of police vans blocked entry for thousands of people who'd paid up to £140 for genuine tickets. Those who protested were whipped with batons and told to go home. In the other area limos ushered through men in Armani who had paid nothing.

In one section, a pair of shoeless teenage girls staggered around with tears streaming down their faces after pepper gas had been sprayed. In another, two towering models wearing designer gear and bored expressions strolled on a red carpet past potted plants.

In one end, there was anarchy as security tried to deny entry to those desperate to gain sight of the pitch. In another, doors were held open for the recipients of lobster and champagne reception passes.

It's right that UEFA lambast the ticketless Liverpool fans who conned or forced their way into the Olympic Stadium. It's understandable they blame them for depriving genuine ticket-holders entry.

But their refusal to accept ANY responsibility for a frightening bedlam in which their customers were barred from an event they'd paid for, sums up the dangerous contempt in which they hold the real lifeblood of the game.

It partly explains Manchester United fans' experience in Rome and Lille. It makes you shudder at how worse Athens could have been.

It sums up the extent to which the little men who pretend to run football are in serious denial. Incapable and unwilling to stem its explosion into a grotesque, wealth-obsessed monster.

My son was ticketless like thousands of other Reds season ticket holders who'd attended every home Champions League game. He booked a £650 package to Greece on the day after the semi-final, confident through past experience that he'd qualify for a ticket.

The club had given these fans no warning that this time their chances were as low as one-in-five. How, due to corporate and shareholder demands, fans were only getting 11,000 of their 17,000 allocation.

So what did UEFA expect the fans who'd booked the packages to do, especially after Liverpool's chief executive claimed Scousers always manage to get in by hook or by crook? Should they wave their money goodbye and stay at home, or head out to Greece, knowing there would be thousands of tickets floating around on the black market?

Tickets like the 9,000 UEFA put into a worldwide inter net ballot in January and the 20,000 that went to the UEFA "family". On Wednesday almost two-thirds of the stadium was taken up by Liverpool fans and almost one third Milan. It was the same in Istanbul.

UEFA knew the overwhelming majority of the 29,000 tickets which didn't go to either club, would end up in the hands of the supporters. They just decided to let the touts skim off a fortune and multi-national firms indulge in competitions, give-aways and back-handers.

When UEFA were warned there were 5,000 forgeries in circulation, they claimed their security would ensure only genuine ticket-holders made it inside the ground. That worked.

This was a ground with no turnstiles which wasn't built for football. Why was it held there? Almost 8,000 of its 71,000 seats had been turned into advertising space. How was that sanctioned? There was a block of 800 interseats in the Italian end, which AC Milan were given tickets for, which ended up going to Liverpool fans. How did that come about and who would have taken responsibility if fighting had ensued? Certainly not UEFA.

My son eventually ended up with a ticket five hours before kick-off, thanks to his uncle pulling in a corporate favour. It was bought from a London agency and cost £1,000.

That ticket is still fully intact. It was never handled by security. He showed it four times. Each time he held it above his head and was waved through.

To my knowledge so too were fans who showed an aeroplane boarding card, a cigarette packet and a flyer for a lap-dance bar.

To top it all off, UEFA spokesman Rob Faulkner put the shambles of Athens down to his organisation being "a victim of our own success".

They're the victims, you see.

Staggering.

by **NANNY RED** » Sat May 26, 2007 2:00 pm

s@int wrote:Originally Posted by Brian Reade Daily Mirror

BLAME GAME

UEFA's men in Armani duck all responsibility after Athens night of shameful contrasts

Brian Reade 26/05/2007

I SPENT three hours before the Champions League Final walking around the stadium trying to find my son and see if he'd got hold of a ticket.

The route from the press box to the Liverpool end required negotiating the rear of the sprawling VIP hospitality area. Here's a few contrasting sights. Try to guess which section was which.

In one area, a line of police vans blocked entry for thousands of people who'd paid up to £140 for genuine tickets. Those who protested were whipped with batons and told to go home. In the other area limos ushered through men in Armani who had paid nothing.

In one section, a pair of shoeless teenage girls staggered around with tears streaming down their faces after pepper gas had been sprayed. In another, two towering models wearing designer gear and bored expressions strolled on a red carpet past potted plants.

In one end, there was anarchy as security tried to deny entry to those desperate to gain sight of the pitch. In another, doors were held open for the recipients of lobster and champagne reception passes.

It's right that UEFA lambast the ticketless Liverpool fans who conned or forced their way into the Olympic Stadium. It's understandable they blame them for depriving genuine ticket-holders entry.

But their refusal to accept ANY responsibility for a frightening bedlam in which their customers were barred from an event they'd paid for, sums up the dangerous contempt in which they hold the real lifeblood of the game.

It partly explains Manchester United fans' experience in Rome and Lille. It makes you shudder at how worse Athens could have been.

It sums up the extent to which the little men who pretend to run football are in serious denial. Incapable and unwilling to stem its explosion into a grotesque, wealth-obsessed monster.

My son was ticketless like thousands of other Reds season ticket holders who'd attended every home Champions League game. He booked a £650 package to Greece on the day after the semi-final, confident through past experience that he'd qualify for a ticket.

The club had given these fans no warning that this time their chances were as low as one-in-five. How, due to corporate and shareholder demands, fans were only getting 11,000 of their 17,000 allocation.

So what did UEFA expect the fans who'd booked the packages to do, especially after Liverpool's chief executive claimed Scousers always manage to get in by hook or by crook? Should they wave their money goodbye and stay at home, or head out to Greece, knowing there would be thousands of tickets floating around on the black market?

Tickets like the 9,000 UEFA put into a worldwide inter net ballot in January and the 20,000 that went to the UEFA "family". On Wednesday almost two-thirds of the stadium was taken up by Liverpool fans and almost one third Milan. It was the same in Istanbul.

UEFA knew the overwhelming majority of the 29,000 tickets which didn't go to either club, would end up in the hands of the supporters. They just decided to let the touts skim off a fortune and multi-national firms indulge in competitions, give-aways and back-handers.

When UEFA were warned there were 5,000 forgeries in circulation, they claimed their security would ensure only genuine ticket-holders made it inside the ground. That worked.

This was a ground with no turnstiles which wasn't built for football. Why was it held there? Almost 8,000 of its 71,000 seats had been turned into advertising space. How was that sanctioned? There was a block of 800 interseats in the Italian end, which AC Milan were given tickets for, which ended up going to Liverpool fans. How did that come about and who would have taken responsibility if fighting had ensued? Certainly not UEFA.

My son eventually ended up with a ticket five hours before kick-off, thanks to his uncle pulling in a corporate favour. It was bought from a London agency and cost £1,000.

That ticket is still fully intact. It was never handled by security. He showed it four times. Each time he held it above his head and was waved through.

To my knowledge so too were fans who showed an aeroplane boarding card, a cigarette packet and a flyer for a lap-dance bar.

To top it all off, UEFA spokesman Rob Faulkner put the shambles of Athens down to his organisation being "a victim of our own success".

They're the victims, you see.

Staggering.

I was just thinking to post the brian reade article on here but you beat me to it s@int great minds think alike

good read

by **BOODIDDY** » Sat May 26, 2007 3:59 pm

i ain't here to name and shame those who were involved. They know what they did and some will reflect now and probably not do it again. others will just do it over and over until they grow up or get hurt or worse.

by **The Rev Paisley** » Sat May 26, 2007 4:02 pm

From wailing and gnashing of teeth over a bemused, befuddled and fortunately beheaded resident to the mock shock and horror at perceived criticisms by a perceptive Tory MP, from a refusal to acknowledge the role of Liverpudlian scum in the murder of 39 Italians at Heysel to the hysterical accusations and refusal to acknowledge the scouse-inflicted murders at Hillsborough, the Liverpudlian ability to deceive themselves knows no bounds.

The ability to wallow in pity, to demonstrate self-righteous indignation over all-too-often self-inflicted wounds (Bigley should have left months before they did us all and his Thai wife, a favour, 39 Italians died at Heysel because scouse hooligans murdered them, Hillsborough was caused by drunken morons without tickets forcing their way into the ground, Michael Shields was locked up in Bulgaria because either he or another scouse :censored:

crushed a man's head with a rock, Maddy disappeared because her mum wanted a kebab and a pint) is seemingly unending.

Today's papers are full of stories about poor scousers unable to get into the cup final with official tickets and being sprayed with pepper gas by Greek police.

But dig a little deeper and the truth soon begins to unfold...

They couldn't get in because the ground had been filled by those who bought forgeries and broke through barriers to get into the ground.

They couldn't get in because the seats were taken by gangs of young liverpudlian scum who had steamrollered their way through a holding area outside the ground, snatching tickets from the hands of women and children waiting to get in.

They couldn't get in because they arrived too late having spent the previous eight hours :censored:

out of their heads and shoplifting in Athens.

Michael Howard intended to support his home town of Liverpool when he described scenes at the stadium last night as 'reminiscent of Hillsborough'.
He's right - they were. And they were reminiscent of Hillsborough because the game involved Liverpool and they take Liverpudlians with them.
And Liverpudlians take with them an attitude that they are beyond the law, beyond what is generally accepted as 'right and proper', beyond common sense and decency.

Quote:
Paul Boyle, from Maghull, said: “There wasn’t just tear gas - they had shields and batons and really forced their way into the crowd.

“I never once got my ticket checked - I have it with me now, it’s a legitimate ticket and it was a waste of money because people with forgeries stormed through the gates.

“They shouldn’t hold these kinds of events in countries which obviously can’t handle them.”

Quote:
"The crowd got angry and one fan shouted ‘Ambush, run at them’.

“Then a few of them ran towards the police, jumped over the fence, while the police on megaphones were shouting ‘Get back, get back, stay back’ and they sprayed the tear gas into the pen.”

Quote:
Mike Connerty, from Bootle, said he turned away from the stadium rather than trying to get in when he saw the trouble.

He said: “There’d been rumours going around all day that the gates were going to get rushed.

“I told my mates we’d have to get to the ground before then but we got held up in traffic and when we got there I saw a gang of lads pulling a fence down because the police wouldn’t let them in.
“The next thing, the police just waded in, hitting anyone who was in their way.

Hillsborough warrants two minutes silence, a seemingly never-ending campaign of self pity and a memorial outside Anfield.

Heysel, where 39 were murdered because Liverpool FC qualified for Europe, never gets a mention.

Today, the people of Liverpool mourn the loss ot the Champions League Trophy.
If only one of their fans had been beaten to death by a Greek copper, they would have been able to put the defeat behind them and get on with something they are really good at.

Being Victims.

by **Sabre** » Sat May 26, 2007 4:11 pm

Reported to the mods.

by **dawson99** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:12 pm

deleted as hurt poor leons feelings saying anything negative

by **redtrader74** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:26 pm

dawson99 wrote:2 of my mates would like to thank the hospitality of the liverpudlians who nicked there wallets... nice one.

Don't you know that it was Uefas fault

by **Leonmc0708** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:27 pm

BOODIDDY wrote:FACT: THERE WAS PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THIS FORUM WHO DID JUMP QUE'S AND WERE TOTALLY OUT OF ORDER TO THE GREEKS AND OFFICIALS.

THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEIRSELVES. THEY WONT COME FORWARD, BUT I KNOW WHO THEY ARE (WELL SOME OF THEM ANYHOW)

WE AS A CLUB HAVE GOT TO STOP USING THE SAME OLD STORY. THAT POLICING WAS POOR AND THEY JUST BATTERED YOU WITH BATONS FOR NO REASON. (NOT HILLSBROUGH, BECAUSE THE TAYLOR REPORT STATED THE POLICING WAS WRONG THERE)

BUT, 86 FINAL AT WEMBLEY, PEOPLE STORMED THE GATES THEN. DORTMUND 2001, FANS DID THE SAME AGAIN.

YET, THE OTHER DAY THOSE THAT STORMED THE GATES AND INTIMIDATED THE LOCALS WERE THE FIRST TO COME ON TV AND RADIO AND SAY THEY WERE TREATED POORLY. FFS, GET REAL. THOSE FANS (AND THERE WERE A GOOD FEW HUNDRED OF THEM) ARE DICKS. THIS CLUB CAN'T CONDONE THIS EVER. MILAN HAD NO PROBLEMS. WE AS FANS MUST ACCEPT THAT EVERYONE AIN'T GONNA ET A TICKET, AND JUST ENJOY HTE OCCASION FROM NOW ON AT HOME WITH FRIENDS WHO HAVEN'T GOT THEM OR AT THE VENUE BUT ON BIG SCREENS OR IN PUBS. AND PLEASE, PLEASE BEHAVE.

FOOTBALL IS FOR EVERYONE, AND THERE WERE FAR TOO MANY WHO THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE THEY WERE MALE THEY HAD A DEVINE RIGHT TO ENTRY BEFORE WOMEN AND CHILDREN. gET A GRIP YOU MORONIC T.W.AT.S.

I REALLY FEEL ASHAMED TO FOLLOW THIS CLUB WITH THESE THUGS JUST NOW

who was it lad, you better name names cus it appears that I am the only one you mention from this forum that you claim to have seen in Athens.

by **dawson99** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:29 pm

redtrader74 wrote:
dawson99 wrote:2 of my mates would like to thank the hospitality of the liverpudlians who nicked there wallets... nice one.

Don't you know that it was Uefas fault

lol..not blaming liverpool fans, it does happen everywhere. just the first time its happened to me anywhere that within 20 mins one mate was mugged and one was pick pocketted. the mugger was a liverpool fan...

and no leon, i wont delete it.

i had a fantastic time anyways, the majority were brilliant but the few idiots there spoilt it for some of my mates.

by **Leonmc0708** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:37 pm

dawson99 wrote:
redtrader74 wrote:
dawson99 wrote:2 of my mates would like to thank the hospitality of the liverpudlians who nicked there wallets... nice one.

Don't you know that it was Uefas fault

lol..not blaming liverpool fans, it does happen everywhere. just the first time its happened to me anywhere that within 20 mins one mate was mugged and one was pick pocketted. the mugger was a liverpool fan...

and no leon, i wont delete it.

i had a fantastic time anyways, the majority were brilliant but the few idiots there spoilt it for some of my mates.

Well then dont fuc.king well bother coming back to the city, or following hte team if you are going to slag it you horrible little cockney gobshi.te.

How can your mates possibly know who mugged them ? If I know I had been mugged, and by whom, then I would be quickly unmugged.

How did you know the pick pocket had a scouse accent - another fuc.king lie.

Shi.thouses trick posting that in htis thread.

by **Scottbot** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:40 pm

Hard to have an opinion on this without actually being over in Athens for the game plus i haven't had a chance to speak to my mate who went over (with a ticket). It seems to me that the blame cannot simply be laid at one party's feet. Those fans who bunked into the ground with forgories (or whatever else) certainly contributed to the problems but to hear that so many got inot the ground without even having their ticket checked (let alone the stub removed) is ludicrous. If the game was held at a genuine football stadium with turnstiles then surely very few fans would have been able to make it in with forged tickets?

Along with the defeat it all leaves a really shi.t.ty taste in the mouth. At least we can be thankful the mancs did not make it to Athens because i think we would probably have a lot more to talk about

by **redtrader74** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:41 pm

A little sensitive aren't you, where did Dawson say they were scouse or from Liverpool, he said they were Liverpool FANS.

by **dawson99** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:45 pm

Leonmc0708 wrote:
dawson99 wrote:
redtrader74 wrote:
dawson99 wrote:2 of my mates would like to thank the hospitality of the liverpudlians who nicked there wallets... nice one.

Don't you know that it was Uefas fault

lol..not blaming liverpool fans, it does happen everywhere. just the first time its happened to me anywhere that within 20 mins one mate was mugged and one was pick pocketted. the mugger was a liverpool fan...

and no leon, i wont delete it.

i had a fantastic time anyways, the majority were brilliant but the few idiots there spoilt it for some of my mates.

Well then dont fuc.king well bother coming back to the city, or following hte team if you are going to slag it you horrible little cockney gobshi.te.

How can your mates possibly know who mugged them ? If I know I had been mugged, and by whom, then I would be quickly unmugged.

How did you know the pick pocket had a scouse accent - another fuc.king lie.

Shi.thouses trick posting that in htis thread.

the liverpool top and scouse accent gave the mugging away.
the pick pocket im just guessing was from liverpool and as everyone in the pub had the top on i guessed..silly me.
now here comes the cockney bashing again.

leon, i love liverpool, we'll all be back, as i told u in pm as u slagged me off we were just gutted that a night was ruined in a city which was supposed to be united in the game.

we were trashed, got seperated, and they dont lie.

by **BOODIDDY** » Sat May 26, 2007 6:57 pm

No leon mate not you. i only mentioned you in my other post about the day. i certainly didn't see you at the ground. You were actually dead funny with that little hitler at the airport. Again, i ain't mentioning names because i don't want any :censored:

from the idiots denying it etc.

Its over with as far as i'm concerned. The true fans i hope will not allow this to happenagain and im sure the club will do more next time.

SO NO PEOPLE, I WASN'T ON ABOUT LEON.

by **dawson99** » Sat May 26, 2007 6:58 pm

and the true fans wouldnt have ruined my mates time. sorry just way over tired, way skint.

had a good time in liverpool meself, was just over tired and annoyed at what happened.

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