UEFA, French Federation Estimate 2,800 'Fake Tickets' Scanned At Champions League Final: Source

The two bodies gave that estimation at a meeting on Monday at the French sports ministry convened to examine what was behind the chaotic scenes that marred Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid

UEFA and the French football federation estimate that 2,800 'fake tickets' were scanned at the Champions League final, a source said Tuesday. The two bodies gave that estimation at a crisis meeting on Monday at the French sports ministry, the source said. That meeting was convened to examine what was behind the chaotic scenes that marred Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris, the Spanish side running out 1-0 winners.

The French government, which has faced a barrage of criticism over policing of the match which saw thousands of Liverpool fans with tickets struggle to enter the Stade de France, has blamed "massive" ticket fraud for the disturbances.

French security services had warned authorities of the risk of 50,000 fans without tickets or with fake ones two days before the final, according to a document seen by AFP Tuesday.

A note from the National Division of the Fight against Hooliganism (DNLH) on May 25 -- written with the input of intelligence services and seen by AFP -- warned of "around 50,000 English fans in the French capital who will not have tickets".

"Some of them will have fake tickets and will try to use them to access the stadium," said the note from the DNLH, a branch of the police, although it does not estimate how many.