Liverpool star Joel Matip’s family ‘flee stadium’ amid Champions League final carnage
Liverpool star Joel Matip’s family ‘flee stadium’ amid Champions League final carnage
JOEL MATIP’s brother and wife got caught up in the chaos outside the Champions League final.
Liverpool fan makes it onto flight to Paris following cancellation
Joel Matip’s brother, Marvin, and his pregnant wife were reportedly forced to flee the Stade de France and take refuge in a Paris restaurant amid chaotic scenes before the Champions League final. Crowds of Liverpool and Real Madrid fans were forced to wait without explanation as kick-off was twice delayed, and there were reports of riot police using tear gas.
Thousands of empty seats remained as the initial kick-off approached in Paris, and it quickly emerged that hoards of fans were in slow-moving queues outside. In some instances, gates were inexplicably closed as supporters were left in limbo before their biggest match of the season.
According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Joel Matip’s brother, Marvin, and his pregnant wife were almost caught up in the carnage and had to flee while trying to gain access to the stadium. They supposedly took refuge in a local restaurant when riot police were used tear gas on groups of fans in Paris.
Joel Matip’s family had to take refuge in a Paris restaurant (Image: GETTY / Sky Sports)
Other reports claim that the scenes outside the Stade de France were ‘unlike anything seen before’, with groups attacking and robbing fans – “I’ve seen it myself,” said journalist Sergio Santos.
UEFA sparked outrage with their first kick-off delay message, which appeared to point the finger at fans who had turned up late to the game. Meanwhile, many supporters claimed to have arrived hours before the action was due to get underway, only to be greeted by standstill queues and a complete lack of communication.
To illustrate the scale of the melee outside, journalist Nick Parrott told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I have been to the Champions League final before and I have never been pepper-sprayed before. I was outside Gate Y which has been opening and closing repeatedly over the last hour and a half but nobody has been going through, the security staff on the other side advanced and sprayed pepper spray.
“I have seen 10 fans trying to climb over fences. Gate Z is open but there does not seem to be any movement going in. I have never seen this sort of chaos at any match I have been to in a personal capacity. The Liverpool fans are trying to move themselves back from these gates to try and get in but the authorities seem to be doing nothing.
Jurgen Klopp patrolled the pitch as fans scrambled to gain access to the Champions League final (Image: GETTY)
“I came to get into the stadium at seven o’clock. I got through the outer perimeter where there is crushing. I came round in good time and it was quite clear that we were not going to get in before nine o’clock.”
Eventually, the match got underway just under 40 minutes after the original kick-off time as Liverpool fans gradually filled up their seats. Thiago Alcantara survived a warm-up injury scare to maintain his starting spot amid reports that Naby Keita was poised to step in.
