More than 5,000 Liverpool fans give their accounts of Champions League final chaos

Liverpool fans were tear-gassed while queueing to get into the Stade de France. Credit: PA

Liverpool supporters have submitted more than 5,000 first-hand accounts in 24 hours of the Paris chaos surrounding Saturday's Champions League final.

Chief executive Billy Hogan hailed an "astounding" response to Liverpool's request for information from supporters who were in the French capital for the European showdown against Real Madrid.

Liverpool fans were tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed by police as they waited in huge queues prior to the game against Real Madrid, with the access problems leading to a kick-off delay of 36 minutes.

UEFA initially blamed the late arrival of fans for the problems, which included some supporters being crushed, before later issuing a statement referring to fake tickets as the cause.

Fans showing their tickets for the match

French government ministers reiterated the latter claims on Monday, alleging "fraud at an industrial level" leading to the fiasco that followed.

This version of events has been challenged by numerous fans and other independent eye-witnesses, including media outlets.

Now Liverpool chief Hogan has called on UEFA to include the testimony from Liverpool fans submitted to the Merseyside club's website in the European governing body's independent review.

"The form has been on our website for just over 24 hours and we have had over 5,000 forms completed and submitted, which is really astounding," Hogan told Liverpool's official club website."I'm horrified by the way some men, women, children - some able-bodied, some less able-bodied - have been indiscriminately treated over the course of Saturday.

"I think the volume of completed forms in the last 24 hours really demonstrates how fans want to support the investigation process and, importantly, gather real evidence of what happened both prior to and post kick-off."

"I do think it's important to recognise we've all been rightly focused on the access issues at Stade de France; I think it's also important we don't lose sight of what happened after the match.

Liverpool fans stuck outside the ground show their match tickets during the UEFA Champions League Final at the Stade de France, Paris. Credit: Adam Davy/PA Wire/PA Images

"I think we've all seen videos, photos, I've read a number of stories of absolutely horrific experiences leaving the stadium as well - crimes being committed, muggings taking place.

"Nobody should experience what our fans experienced both before or after the match.

"In our minds, obviously this is wholly unacceptable, which is why it's important we create this body of experiences, which clearly must be included in the independent investigation."

Liverpool lost Saturday's final 1-0 but the match was overshadowed by the off-field events.

Hogan revealed Liverpool are now attempting to make contact with any supporters injured in Saturday's distressing scenes, to offer as much assistance as possible.

The deputy mayor of the 12th arrondissement in Paris, Richard Bouigue, has written to the Spirit of Shankly supporters group in Liverpool to express "deep regret for the serious events that took place at the beginning of the evening."

Spirit of Shankly says the events on Saturday were "shambolic and deeply traumatising for many."

It added: " We owe all LFC fans, in fact all football fans, a strong and robust challenge to those who created that situation and followed it by perpetrating lies. "