Boy, 9, tear gassed by riot police in chaos outside Champions League final

Liverpool fan Carlos ‘couldn’t breathe properly,’ his father said as criticism of French authorities grows following ‘chaos’ outside stadium

Footage shows a boy wiping his eyes after being hit by tear gas at the Champions League final (Twitter / @clemente_carl)

A nine-year-old boy wiped his eyes after being hit by tear gas by police outside the Champions League final in Paris.

French police are facing fierce criticism for their actions outside the Stade de France on Saturday, with officers armed with riot gear using pepper spray on fans.

Liverpool FC supporters were tear gassed both before and after the final, which saw their club lose against Real Madrid.

Carl Clemente went to the match with his nine-year-old son Carlos and shared a video of the pair getting caught up in the mayhem afterwards.

The boy can be heard crying and wiping his eyes after tear gas was thrown in their direction.

His father said it happened when they were heading to the taxi pick-up point after the match.

”As we approached the police you could feel the tension, they were very intimidating and they looked as if they meant business with their body armour,” he told Mail Online.

”The style was very different to what we have back in the UK, there was no smile or hello and it was like a war zone.”

Riot police watching Liverpool fans during the UEFA Champions League final match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid at Stade de France on May 28 (Getty Images)

Mr Clemente said the disturbances were not caused by Liverpool fans or Real Madrid fans - claiming it was local gangs goading people.

The father says he was hit in the ankle with a tear gas canniester with such force it knocked him to the ground.

“My lad was terrified and the smoke got in his eyes and left us both coughing and spluttering with our eyes streaming,” he said. “Carlos couldn’t breathe properly and it was an awful experience for him.”

Police have also been criticised for their handling of fans before the game, after supporters with tickets were forced to queue for hours.

There were clashes between fans and police outside the stadium (AFP via Getty Images)

Footage on social media appeared to show people climbing over barriers as crowds built up, and the kick-off was delayed by more than 30 minutes.

Officers carrying shields and riot gear moved into the area shortly after 8pm and began using tear gas.

Another father told The Sun his son was caught up in tear gas before the game on Saturday night.

Jade Pearce said his 11-year-old Maxwell “thought he was going to die”.

Police have been accused of heavy handed and unecessary tactics (PA)

British politicians urged Uefa and French authorities to investigate “deeply concerning” events on Saturday night.

Chris Philp, a culture minister, said there was “no obvious justification” for the behaviour of police.

“I was horrified to see those pictures of fans, including some children, disabled fans, being pepper-sprayed by French police,” he told Sky News.

On Monday, the mayor of Liverpool said fans had been “stereotyped” by police and deserved an apology.

Liverpool fans were delayed getting into the final and were sprayed with tear gas (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

Joanne Anderson, who was at the game, said she witnessed “Liverpool fans bottlenecked together” and shouting at stewards, before riot police “ just came over and pepper sprayed them”

“It was absolutely shambolic but the police behaviour was also really brutal,” she told BBC Breakfast.