French authorities have blamed "thousands of ticketless Liverpool fans" for the ugly incident before the start of the Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday.

The chaos at the Stade de France led to the delay in kickoff time as the police tried to bring the situation under control.

Kick-off was delayed by 36 minutes after many Liverpool supporters were blocked from entering the stadium.

French police were said to have used teargas and pepper spray on the English fans, including children.

But France’s interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, said on Twitter that 'thousands of British “fans” without tickets or with fake tickets forced their way in and, at times, assaulted the stewards’.

French sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, also placed the blame on English supporters.

“The attempts at intrusion and fraud by thousands of English fans have complicated the work of the stewards and police forces, but they will not tarnish this victory,” she posted on Twitter.

The Paris police headquarters said in a statement: “Many supporters without tickets for the match or holders of counterfeit tickets disrupted access to the Stade de France, at the level of the external security perimeter.”