"Don't let the match start until I land" - LeBron James sends message to Liverpool fans as Champions League final against Real Madrid gets delayed
Liverpool fan and part-owner LeBron James has pleaded with his side not to start their Champions League final with Real Madrid until he gets there.
Before the clash at the Stade de France, BBC Sport reported that the showpiece would be delayed by 30 minutes due to problems with getting fans into the stadium.
The showpiece was moved to Paris from St. Petersburg following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, BBC Sport also reports that chaos has reigned supreme outside of France's national stadium, with claims of police using tear gas on supporters.
UEFA announcement on the screens in the ground blames “the late arrival of fans”. The fans who have been waiting for HOURS to get into that stadium.
Reports tear gas has been used.
It really is time for football was run by fans instead of dinosaurs who treat fans like animals.
According to BBC News, NBA icon James owns a 2% stake in Liverpool and has been active on Twitter, expressing his support for the Merseyside club.
Ahead of the encounter between the Reds and Real Madrid, James tweeted that he didn't want the eagerly awaited match to begin until he arrived.
@LFC FANS, don't let the match start until I land. OMW!! #YNWA❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Ahead of the game, ESPN journalist James Olley spoke of the chaos outside the ground, as he told BBC Sport:
"It is the outer perimeter that is the problem.
"It is a stadium that has main roads out of Paris and the river at the back and the issue is that there are underpasses where they have decided to check tickets.
"At that point they are checking tickets, searching bags and taking alcohol off people.
"The problem is it takes time but secondly there are a lot of people outside without tickets. In an ideal world you would want something to stop tens of thousands of people without tickets getting to the outer perimeter and chancing their arm. It is tense out there."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp makes bold choices ahead of Real Madrid showpiece
Ahead of the final, Klopp revealed the Reds' starting lineup, which included two injury doubts, Thiago and Fabinho.
Thiago limped off during the Reds' final Premier League game of the campaign against Wolves, while Fabinho hasn't played since he pulled up during their game with Aston Villa due to a thigh problem.
Klopp's other major decision was who to start in central-defence alongside Virgil van Dijk, with Ibrahima Konate getting the nod ahead of Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.
3 - Liverpool and Real Madrid will meet for a third time in the final of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, the most between two clubs across the history of the two competitions. Liverpool won the first final back in 1981, before Madrid beat Klopp’s side in 2018. Revenge? https://t.co/b2uNmTZ3LY