Liverpool fan groups reassured by police ahead of first Paris return since 2022 Champions League final
Liverpool fans groups have been reassured by French police that there will be no repeat of the chaotic scenes which marred the 2022 Champions League final in Paris.
Wednesday's Champions League last-16 first leg against Paris Saint-Germain sees Liverpool return to the French capital for the first time in nearly three years.
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Prior to the 2022 final against Real Madrid at Stade de France in the northern suburbs of Paris, supporters were trapped in dangerous bottlenecks, teargassed by police and attacked by local youths
The circumstances are different this time around with Liverpool given just 2,000 tickets for a game being played at Parc des Princes, home of PSG, in the south west of the city.
Paris police officials agreed to a request from fan groups, including Spirit of Shankly, Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance (HSA) and Liverpool Disabled Supporters' Association, to hold an online meeting on Monday where the safety of travelling supporters was discussed.
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'They acknowledged that the behaviour of Liverpool fans in recent years has been exemplary and that they regard this game as low risk,' said Peter Scarfe, chair of the HSA.
'They explained that the two stadiums are very different and that it would be much safer this time in terms of the route for fans to take. The transfer links are also better. They were appalled by how it was policed last time.
'There will be vans blocking side roads but not narrowing the actual route to the ground like we saw at the 2022 final. We received all the reassurances we were looking for over crowd control and what plans are in place for the Liverpool fans going over there.'
Liverpool's operations team always visit the venue for a European away trip in advance and they reported back to fan groups last week that they didn't have any concerns over Wednesday's game.
Travelling supporters have been issued with advice, including taking metro line nine to the stadium and getting off at Porte de Saint-Cloud. They have been urged to avoid line 10 which is used by the PSG Ultras.
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