British minister tells UEFA to stop blame game

BRUSSELS, June 4 (Reuters) UEFA should stop ''playing the blame game'' and take responsibility themselves, British sports minister Richard Caborn said as he waited to receive a report on trouble involving Liverpool fans.

UEFA president Michel Platini will submit a report to Caborn which names Liverpool as Europe's most troublesome club based on statistics compiled from international police undercover agents for the past four years.

Problems occurred at the May 23 Champions League final in Athens when fans with forged tickets or no ticket gained entry to the Olympic Stadium for the match against AC Milan, while dozens of fans with genuine tickets were refused entry.

When Liverpool fans tried to enter, the situation threatened to escalate out of control and Greek police fired tear gas and used batons.

''There have been over 25 incidents involving Liverpool supporters since 2003, some of them small, some more worrisome,'' UEFA spokesman William Gaillard told Reuters today.

Caborn told Reuters: ''This is not about UEFA versus Liverpool or UEFA versus England fans but UEFA must stop playing the blame game and stop pointing fingers at people.

''What we need to do is look at the evidence of the last season and the evidence in the report which I'm due to get tomorrow and move forward.

''This is about finding solutions, not looking back and saying what has happened but more about how to stop this happening in the future.

''I have given this message to (Liverpool chief executive) Rick Parry this morning in a phone call and I will be giving the very same message to Michel Platini when I see him tomorrow.'' Parry, in a statement on Liverpool's Web site (www.liverpoolfc.tv) responded to Gaillard's comments by saying: ''The shortcomings in the management of the situation in Athens were apparent to anyone who was there.

''These latest comments from UEFA should not deflect attention from that reality. What is most surprising about (them) is that on the eve of the final, Mr Gaillard quite rightly commented that Liverpool supporters 'have a tradition of good behaviour'.'' Parry added: ''These same supporters, who Mr Gaillard is claiming are now the worst in Europe, were praised by UEFA President Michel Platini after our semi-final victory against Chelsea only last month, commended for their behaviour in Istanbul in 2005 and actually honoured by UEFA at a gala dinner in Monte Carlo in 2001 as joint Supporters of the Year with Alves after the UEFA Cup final.

''We produced a report for UEFA a week beforehand predicting, sadly, all of the things that did go wrong,'' he said.

''We told UEFA our intelligence suggested there were 5,000 forged tickets in existence. They knew and we knew that thousands of fans would travel without tickets and we stressed the need for a proper check at the outer cordon.'' REUTERS BJR VV1823