An athletics stadium with no gates. Poorly trained staff with no idea how to contain a large football crowd. A city with one airport that went into total meltdown after the event.

 Now you would think UEFA after all these years of organising events of such magnitude, the length and breadth of Europe, by now would have these showpeice finals down to a fine art . Its a joke these people cant even learn from their mistakes, As a Liverpool fan it is only fair to reflect on games I have a personnal knowledge of and of the mistakes that have simply been duplicated for political and monetary reasons in my opinion.

Rome 84 the Olympic stadium Liverpool v Roma, from early in the competion LFC flagged their concerns to UEFA about the choice of venue, it being the home ground of Roma one of the competions favourites. Their concerns were totally ignored by UEFA, so as expected we were given 16 000 tickets Roma 50 000+. On entering the ground the Roman police stripped us of all personnal items including keys coins etc Of course no such restrictions applied to the home fans who rained missiles of every description including fireworks upon us. A complaint to a policeman led only to a baton lashing. This was nothing though compared to what awaited us after winning the game, the police either abandoned us to our fate, or worse, stories of being led by them into ambushes. Rome was gripped by riotous mobs all desperate to wreak vengence upon us, even the Latzio fans were on the streets joining the frey. Scores of Liverpool fans were hospitalised that night. Stabbings galore, cars mounting pavements attempting to mow them down.How nobody was killed was a miracle. In the aftermath the club, local MPs and media demanded answers from our own FA and UEFA only to be met with silence and the sweeping of a mess under the carpet.

1985 Liverpool v Juventus Heysell stadium Brussells. This stadium was 60 years old and very much showing it, again an athletics stadium with no proper gates. The bulk of the fans would be standing on a crumbling concrete terrace. The allocation of tickets meant Juventus had approx 50% more tickets than we did, as a result Half the area behind the goal allocated to us would have Juventus fans standing next to ours. I must admit I refused to attend this game too many of our people were going in the wrong frame of mind. You kept hearing how no way the Italians would be allowed to excrete from a great height on us again. UEFA had placed all the ingreadients for a diaster in place and 39 innocent people died. As a club and as a group of supporters we hung our heads in shame.

Thatcher had us banned from Europe as quick as you cold say Derek Hatton. In doing so she presented UEFA their scapegoat on a big silver platter which of course they accepted. Some local politicans heads rolled in Brussels, but UEFA , who in my opinion had blood on their hands, got away scot free. More sweeping under the carpet.

Then of course theres Istanbuls Attaturk stadium. Some 30 miles outside Istanbul with one tarmac road in and out. We were dropped at this place eight hours before KO wth no water, no food, just a line of portaloos and a stage. Not a building in sight except the stadium in what looked like a Martian landscape.

I say enough is enough surely now through the internet we can forge links with our fellow fans across Europe to put pressure on UEFA to give us a some say and ask for our game back. UEFA has jumped into bed with the corporate world, it has sold its soul to the devil and now must dance to its tune. I would like my game back it belongs to me and you, not to Ford , Carlsberg or Fuji. Dont get me wrong there will always have to a place for the corporate business, its the way of the world, but not at the expense of peoples lives. Arise brothers and sisters of Europe we have only UEFAs chains to lose | | | | | Inbox

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