Embassy protest after fans beaten

Supporters were tear gassed and hit with batons by riot police outside the Olympic Stadium as they made desperate attempts to get inside the ground.

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Athens said: "We have received reports from some fans that they were prevented from entering the grounds despite having tickets, and were then the subject of heavy-handed treatment by the police. We will be raising this with the Greek authorities."

Trouble flared before the match, in which Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by AC Milan, after congestion built up outside the ground.

Fans approaching from Irini station had to go through a third checkpoint between two police buses about 30 yards apart, but when the crowd began to build up as the checks were being made, riot police moved in to stop other people joining the queues.

With only minutes to go before the kick-off, fans of both teams, and neutrals, became frustrated and angry. Police moved the buses together to stop people going through and, as tensions increased, used tear gas on the fans.

Supporters who ran up staircases to try to find another way into the ground were stopped by riot officers who lashed out at them with their batons.

Some supporters drifted disconsolately away, though others managed to dodge between other police buses and get inside.

The British Embassy said seven British people were arrested for various matters around the time of the final. There were also a number of detentions for people with fake tickets, but these did not turn into arrests.

Police in Athens said 230 people were detected with forged tickets at the stadium, of whom 215 were British.