Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK fans say 'treated like animals' at Champions League final

Ian Byrne, the MP for Liverpool, West Derby said that the match was “one of the worst experiences in my life.”

UK fans say 'treated like animals' at Champions League final

British football fans and officials on Sunday condemned French police for using tear gas on Liverpool supporters ahead of Saturday's Champions League final in Paris, saying they were treated "like animals".

One fan, Paul Machin, said in a YouTube video that what he witnessed in Paris was "unlike anything I've seen at a football match before", condemning "totally and utterly reprehensible behaviour from the French police who were an absolute disgrace".

Another supporter, Andrew Whittle, told Sky News: "Everyone was just funnelled into one place" and the crush "was a real Hillsborough sort of moment".

Although no-one was seriously injured, frightening scenes outside the Stade de France have prompted comparisons with the 1989 stadium disaster at a Liverpool match in Sheffield, which caused 97 deaths in a crush and prompted a major overhaul of stadium safety standards.

Sunday was also the anniversary of another stadium disaster, when 39 people were killed at Heysel Stadium in Brussels in 1985 as Juventus fans tried to flee Liverpool fans.

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish had laid a wreath in honour of the victims ahead of Saturday's match.

The ex-Liverpool star, who was the club's manager at the time of Hillsborough, tweeted after the game that "the way they (fans) were treated by authorities was an absolute joke. Nobody should ever be afraid to go to a football game."

European football governing body UEFA blamed "fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles" for a 35-minute delay to the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Ian Byrne, the MP for Liverpool, West Derby, for the opposition Labour Party, told Sky News that the match was "one of the worst experiences in my life, it was absolutely appalling".

Fans were treated "like absolute animals" and those arriving hours before the game were "getting teargassed and kettled in", he said.

Merseyside Police said in a statement that there were "distressing scenes at the match," where its officers were deployed in an observer capacity.

The force insisted "the vast majority of fans behaved in an exemplary manner".

Liverpool Football Club said they were "hugely disappointed" that their supporters had been subjected to an "unacceptable" breakdown of the security perimeter" at the stadium.

Liverpool players were set to take part in an open-top bus parade through the city on Sunday afternoon despite losing in Paris.

Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson tweeted: "I know many have had a distressing time," adding that she supported the club's "call for an explanation into what happened before kick off."

- 'Shambolic and disorganised' -
Liverpool supporters' association Spirit of Shankly said in a statement that "the failure rests with UEFA, the French authorities and police", criticising the "not unusual heavy-handed response from the police and their indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray".

It said Liverpool fans "were not late" and "had legitimate tickets but failed to gain entry".

Current and former players also criticised the organisation of the event.

Liverpool player Andy Robertson told journalists after the match that "tear gas getting thrown at people was unacceptable."

"It was horrendous for our fans and all families that have been through it as well."

Former England star Gary Lineker, now a BBC presenter, who was at the match, addressed UEFA in a tweet saying: "I'm not sure it's possible to have a more poorly organised event if you tried. Absolutely shambolic and dangerous".

"I saw no behaviour from Liverpool fans that warranted the police reaction," he added.

Former Liverpool defender Jim Beglin tweeted that after the match "organised gangs set about mugging departing fans", with "not a police officer in sight".

Britain's Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries described the footage of the mayhem as "deeply concerning" and joined Liverpool in urging UEFA to launch "a formal investigation into what went wrong and why".

"It is in the interests of everyone involved to understand what happened and to learn lessons from these events."

UEFA said they were "sympathetic" to the fans affected and would review the situation with French authorities.

However, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin pointed the finger at the Liverpool fans, tweeting that "Thousands of British 'supporters' either without tickets or with fake ones forced their way through and sometimes behaved violently towards the stewards".

More For You

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

Keir Starmer speaks during a reception for public sector workers at 10 Downing Street in London on July 1, 2025. (Photo by CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer faced the most serious test of his leadership on Tuesday (1) as his government’s flagship welfare reforms came under fierce attack from within his own party.

The day was marked by emotional speeches, last-minute concessions, and a deep sense of division among Labour MPs, many of whom said the proposed changes would push vulnerable people into poverty

Keep ReadingShow less
Lucy Letby

Letby, from Hereford in western England, was charged in 2020 after a series of deaths in the hospital's neo-natal unit.

Three senior hospital staff arrested in Lucy Letby case probe

POLICE on Tuesday said they had arrested three senior staff members at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies. The arrests were made on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

The investigation was launched in 2023 at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH) in northwest England, following Letby’s conviction and life sentence for killings that took place between 2015 and 2016.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dan Houser new game

Fresh take on the open-world genre from one of its most influential creators.

YouTube/ Rockstar Games

Red Dead Redemption creator Dan Houser confirms new open-world game in development

Key points

  • Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser is developing a new open-world video game.
  • The game is set in the universe of A Better Paradise, a sci-fi audio series launched in 2023.
  • A Better Paradise is being adapted into a novel series, with the first volume due in October 2025.
  • Houser left Rockstar in 2020 and founded Absurd Ventures in 2021.
  • There is no confirmed release date for the game at this time.

Dan Houser, the acclaimed co-creator behind Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto, has officially confirmed that his new company, Absurd Ventures, is developing a new open-world video game. The title will be set in the universe of A Better Paradise, a science fiction IP first introduced in audio format last year.

A new venture after Rockstar

Dan Houser, a founding figure at Rockstar Games, played a central role in writing and producing some of the studio’s most celebrated titles, including Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto V, and Bully. After leaving Rockstar in 2020, he launched Absurd Ventures in 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less
Diljit Dosanjh
Diljit Dosanjh in a still from Sardaar Ji 3 set for overseas release only
IMDB

Diljit Dosanjh’s 'Sardaar Ji 3' becomes highest-grossing Indian film in Pakistan amid boycott in India

Quick highlights:

  • Sardaar Ji 3 rakes in £275,000 (₹3 crore) on opening day in Pakistan, surpassing Sultan.
  • Diljit Dosanjh responds to backlash: “When we shot the film, everything was fine.”
  • Film was not released in India due to controversy over Pakistani actress Hania Aamir’s casting.
  • Worldwide opening weekend collection touches £1.6 million (₹18.1 crore).

The Punjabi-language horror-comedy Sardaar Ji 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, has become the highest-grossing Indian film ever released in Pakistan. Despite being banned in India, the film grossed £275,000 (₹3 crore) on its opening day and £825,000 (₹9 crore) over the first weekend in Pakistan alone.

Keep ReadingShow less