Open Letter to Michel Platini
Dear Mr Platini
Your technical director has blamed a section of Liverpool fans for the tear gas, crushing and barring of genuine ticket holders from last night’s Champions’ League Final.
I have some questions for you as a champion of football and surely someone who supports the love of the game from the point of view of the supporter.
1. Why is it Liverpool fans’ fault that many of them with genuine tickets couldn’t get in. Yes there were forgeries around but when I entered the ground my ticket was scanned 3 times and ripped a bit and scrutinised. Surely the stewards should have checked more carefully.
2. Ah you may say, but there were many hundreds of fans trying to get in and we couldn’t cope.
Well its UEFA’s job to cope. i have been to many many games in Britain and never once, even a few minutes before kick off, has the hundreds of fans been crushed, tear gassed and harrassed nor have the stewards neglected their duty and allowed any old fan in.
3. Why were the stewards inside the ground unable to control the fans and where they sat ? Why didn’t they check the tickets ? Manage the seating ? Why were the aisles full of fans. I had about 4 people trying to sit on my own seat.
4. Why, on a general note, was the Greek FA given the final when their infrastructure was patently incapable of handling a game of this magnitude. You may not have noticed, from your hospitality suite, but this is my day in locations.
Plane to Greece,
Bus to holding area (shed)
Bus from shed to stadium. No signs, no notices, no guides. walked to guess what:
A holding area.
A holding area with expensive food, no seating, and if it weren’t for the sponsors’ activities, nothing to do. This was called the Fans Zone. It was appalling.
then from there to the gates, to be held outside in…. a holding area!
Into the game, badly managed, out, and told to sit for 4 hours in the cold damp night air in the holding area with nothing to keep us warm, no information and a sleep on a concrete floor.
Then a bus. To the airport…HOLDING AREA. Where there were literally thousands of Liverpool fans herded into two rooms about the size of a tennis court with no control. We were left to our own devices and why no-one has been run over by loading buses, or trampled, or left behind (oh wait they have) is a minor miracle. UEFA knew Liverpool would bring the most fans but Milan get the train, the main terminal and better treatment.
I paid over £600 for one match and I was treated like some cattle. It is appalling and the Greek authorities were not ready, were not capable and not prepared to host the event. And for UEFA to blame a small minority of Liverpool fans for the violence and the general mis-management of the event is an insult to a set of fans who put up with more than they resonably should.
Any other event like this and the repercussions would have been massive.
It is a crying shame and you should do something about it. Shame on UEFA.
yours
Michael Hines