Champions League draw: How safe are fans at UEFA matches?

“The cage was closed for most of the game, and I was the furthest away – I couldn’t get out to use the toilet until halftime, and I don’t know what I would have done if there had been a fire or something. I felt very claustrophobic. It was unsettling.”

“My personal assistant was disconnected from me, outside the cage, and I was worried about running out of phone in an emergency because I wasn’t allowed to insert a power bank.

“I know in theory the cage is for our safety from home fans, getting in and out of the pitch was efficient, and the police and stewards were very friendly, but this is 2026 – there has to be a better way than this.”

Jane Boland, 61, Liverpool fan in Marseille, France: “The riot police made it extremely difficult to get in and out of the stadium. After being asked to arrive at a designated meeting point more than four hours before kick-off, we were detained in overcrowded areas and forced to wait for long periods, sometimes with little or no access to toilets.

“It took more than two hours to leave the stadium after full time – by far the longest I’ve ever seen. We were standing crammed on the stairs for what felt like forever, and I had severe back pain afterwards. I realize that someone had lost consciousness and needed medical attention, and in retrospect, I’m surprised it was only one.

“After two days of everything being great and there being nothing but friendly interaction between the two sets of fans, we were treated like cattle.

“I probably spent around £1,000 on the trip, mostly in Marseille itself, so it’s smart that I was treated so poorly as a customer.”

Sue Fox, 68, Tottenham fan in Frankfurt, Germany: “Transportation was generally efficient. The meeting point was well organized and the police gave clear instructions.

“Then we got on the train and they took us through a very dark and muddy forest for about half an hour. When we got to the ground, the gates were closed so we had to stand in line for an hour, and we were all very close together. It was uncomfortable and inappropriate.”

“The men were able to go to the toilet in the bush, but what were we supposed to do? It had been almost two hours without us being able to go.

“Inside, the only women’s toilet was in the house, so we had to use the toilet there, which felt wrong and potentially unsafe.”