Liverpool Requests Investigation into Stadium Issues Before Champions League Final

Liverpool is looking for answers after fans struggled to get into Stade de France in Paris prior to Saturday's UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid.

According to Melissa Reddy of Sky Sports, Liverpool has "requested a formal investigation" to determine what led to "stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that fans faced this evening at Stade de France."

Liverpool also called the situation "unacceptable."

The UCL final had been scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET, but it was delayed by more than 30 minutes because of the delays faced by fans who were trying to enter the venue.

Rob Harris of the Associated Press tweeted a statement from UEFA, which said that fans purchasing fake tickets that didn't scan at the gates led to congestion entering the stadium:

When the match was initially delayed, UEFA placed a message on screens inside the stadium saying that it was due to "late arrival of fans."

Multiple reports later suggested that the fans were not at fault, though. Miguel Delaney of the Independent tweeted that many fans having trouble getting into the stadium had arrived hours before the scheduled start time of the match.

The situation escalated to dangerous levels, as police used pepper spray on fans attempting to enter Stade de France in some cases:

UEFA initially announced a 15-minute delay, but it was later extended, leading to the match starting more than a half-hour later than originally intended.

Two of the biggest and most loyal fanbases in all of soccer were on hand to watch the UEFA Champions League final between clubs that have experienced great success in the UCL final.

Entering Saturday's contest, Real Madrid had won more Champions League titles than any other club with 13, while Liverpool was tied for third with six.

Real Madrid ultimately added a 14th UCL championship Saturday, as they topped Liverpool 1-0 on a 59th-minute goal by Vinicius Junior.