Gary Lineker has praised the "remarkable patience" of Liverpool fans after a report into the horrific scenes surrounding the Champions League final in Paris exonerated them of any blame.
In the days following the final against Real Madrid, the French authorities including the Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin peddled false narratives about Reds supporters. Mr Darmanin falsely claimed "30-40,000 fake tickets" were in circulation, along with other claims about fans. He apologised weeks later for the bad management of the event but stopped short of extending the apology to Liverpool supporters.
And now a report from the French Senate has criticised the interior minister and made it clear that Reds fans - who had been "stereotyped", "misunderstood" and "identified as hooligans, throwing them back to the stereotypes of the 1980s" - were 'unfairly blamed' for what happened around the 1-0 loss to Madrid.
READ MORE: Liverpool FC fans falsely blamed for Paris Champions League final chaos, Senate report finds
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And former Everton striker and Match of the Day host Lineker took to social media to praise the Liverpool supporters who were out in Paris for the final.
"As a witness to events, it's true that LFC fans were completely blameless," Lineker tweeted. "In fact, they deserve enormous credit for showing remarkable patience and good behaviour under the most trying of circumstances."
On Tuesday, the ECHO revealed the Reds are planning to invite around 550 child supporters, accompanied by an adult, who were caught up in the chaos at the Stade de France, to Anfield for the final friendly of the summer schedule. The club is hoping to rebuild young match-going fans' confidence in attending fixtures once more by providing a 'safe space' for them to enjoy the football on July 31.
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