From the Echo:
CHELSEA may be out of the Champions League, but a group of Reds fans say the club has their banner for the final.
The cheeky fans had gone to Stamford Bridge with a Uefa Athens 07 banner to celebrate the Reds’ place in the final.
But today they claimed a Chelsea FC coach took it and that England and club captain John Terry allegedly swore and abused them.
Supporter Paul Anderson, 19, said: “It was surreal. The Chelsea coach was going nuts and kept ranting and raving at us.
“He jumped off the bus and snatched the banner from my mate, then he threw it on to the bus. Next thing he was chasing us and kicking out.
“All the time John Terry was shouting abuse at us. He seemed most riled of all. It was supposed to be light-hearted banter but they didn’t get the joke.”
The fans also said assistant manager Steve Clarke challenged them to get on the bus and reclaim their banner.
Chelsea FC said today the banner became caught under the wheels of the bus, and the coach confiscated it as he feared it was stolen from Stamford Bridge.
The eight-strong group of Reds took the banner to Chelsea’s ground, intending to take photographs after Liverpool FC’s game at nearby Fulham on May 5.
As they posed for pictures the Chelsea team bus drove past, and the Kopites launched into a chant hailing Liverpool’s European semi-final win.
Then, they said, the bus screeched to a halt.
They claim Chelsea skipper John Terry appeared at the door demanding to know why they had chanted at the bus then swore and shouted at them.
Edge Hill University journalism student Paul Anderson from Orrell Park said: “We were stood next to the coach watching in shock.
“Jose Mourinho shouted at John Terry to get back.
“Then Steve Clarke said, ‘If you want your f****** banner back come on the coach and get it.’ We were just laughing at them. It was partly shock and partly funny how mad they were going.
“They drove off then and we were just falling about laughing.
“Eight of us saw what happened and none could get over it.”
Fellow fan Danny Smith, 20, from Speke, claimed he was shoulder barged and kicked in the fracas.
He said: “They definitely took it the wrong way. The big Portuguese coach was running after me and kept trying to kick me.”
A spokesman for Chelsea said: “We dispute completely their version of events. The coaching staff thought the banner had become caught under the wheels of the bus and so they stopped.
“People had to get off the bus and try and untangle it. They took it with them on the coach because it was an official Uefa banner which they believed had possibly been stolen from Stamford bridge.”
LINKTypical Chelsea, can't take a joke. To be honest I fully expect the story to have been exaggerated, but if they really did assualt the fans they should call the bizzies on them.
