DUE TO FANS ‘ARRIVING LATE’, THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL BETWEEN LIVERPOOL AND REAL MADRID KICK-OFF DELAYED 30 MINUTES.
The organisation for the 2022 Champions League final has been problematic because of the way security has been handled and numerous fans were being denied entry to the ground whilst others tried to get through despite not having tickets in scenes similar to the final of Euro 2020 last summer.
The final of the 2022 Champions League between Liverpool and Real Madrid has been delayed over 30 minutes after fans had issues getting into the stadium.
Despite both sets of supporters being in Paris early for the game at the Stade de France there were quickly reports that fans had overwhelmed security at the stadium and some were trying to get into the ground without tickets.
Unsurprisingly UEFA has confirmed that the kick-off has been delayed by 15 minutes, with the delay then extended to 30 minutes. The official reason was given as “fans arriving late” despite the fact that the fans were already there and were having problems getting in.
UEFA then confirmed that the kick-off time would be 20:36 UK time / 21:36 CET.
In addition to reports of fans storming the ground, and also that those outside the ground were being held in dangerously enclosed spaces, there were videos which seemed to show the police using pepper spray.
After speculation that Brazilian midfielder Thiago would miss out on a starting spot for Liverpool after suffering an achilles injury against Wolves last weekend.
It was then reported that he had in fact recovered in time to play from kick-off, according to journalist Paul Joyce.
Thiago joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich in 2020 and in his first season played just 30 times across all competitions, but has notched 38 appearances in the 2021/22 campaign.
It had been anticipated that Naby Keita would have stepped in as a replacement for the 31-year-old.
