Football: Athens farce is a ticket to deride; Blood Red There must be a shared responsibility for fiasco.

Byline: CHRIS BASCOMBE

WAS it only two weeks ago Liverpool were paying tribute to the power of the 12th man? It would appear the club will have to be satisfied with the traditional eleven against AC Milan.

The 12th man might be there in spirit, but physically he'll only be half his usual capacity as the majority of fans are either stuck in Athens city centre haggling a tout down from his pounds 1,000 asking price, or sitting at home ready to kick the television screen if there's the slightest hint a Tarby or a Cilia has wormed their way into the Olympic Stadium at their expense.

A year ago, there was a suitable pantomime villain in the annual ticket fiasco. Paul Sergeant of the Millennium Stadium was a fine scapegoat with his patronising tones and ridiculous sweaters. This time UEFA are the focus of most discontent. In 2004,70,000 spectators were able to watch the 100 metres final in the Olympic Stadium in Athens.

On May 23, only 63,000 are allowed in. Only 34,000 tickets are shared between the genuine fans of Liverpool and AC Milan.

Advertising commitments have contributed to a reduced capacity. If the Champions League 'partners' such as Mastercard and Sony were prepared to slightly amend the size of their advertising boards, more spectators could see the match.

Without doubt, the ultimate responsibility lands at the door of UEFA, but it must be recognised many supporters are arguing Liverpool themselves aren't blameless in a Greek tragedy which, whether the club likes it or not, has seen simmering tensions between fans and the ticket office reach boiling point.

Talk of protests at Anfield is a disturbing new phenomenon.

George and Tom can expect several hundred letters demanding ticketing policies are reviewed as a matter of urgency.

At the very least, many supporters find it reassuring to hear UEFA getting a bullet or two for choosing a venue with such a limited capacity and allocation.

Never mind understanding and conciliatory tones recognising a difficult situation.

The fans are being shafted again and the hurt grows when there is a perception no-one is fighting for the cause.

Liverpool's defence is they've made their rules regarding the allocation of tickets in the event of reaching the final clear from the outset. All complaints should be directed at UEFA.

That may be a fair and logical argument, but it doesn't necessarily mean Liverpool's policy is correct, and the means by which the system can be abused has ensured a sense of burning injustice among those who have more valid claims to be in Athens than many of those who've got lucky.

It would seem no method is perfect. Flaws can always be found, but some are less perfect than others. This is a case in point.

Placing all fans eligible for tickets into a ballot sounds fair on the surface, but fails to consider how many of those included were actually planning to go to Athens.

The obvious fault in the policy, whether it was adopted for logistical or time purposes or not, is applications for tickets were not invited from supporters.

It presumes everyone wants to go, even though many fans with no intention of travelling to the final must have been placed into the ballot.

It's a nice theory to suggest such supporters will take a moral stance on the issue and turn down their opportunity to buy their entitlement, but most likely they went ahead with the purchase to ensure other family or friends could go to Greece.

The club argue the tickets are not transferable in such way, but most of us live in the real world.

There will be many fans who've been given an invitation to make a grand.

In 2005, season ticket holders with six Champions League games to their name had the odds firmly in their favour.

This year fans have discovered they had no more than a glorified lottery ticket.

A hypothetical situation where a season ticket holder who hasn't missed a home game for 25 years is overlooked for someone who may have only ever attended six games in a lifetime can not be deemed satisfactory.

Unfortunately, UEFA can't claim exclusivity on the responsibility for that.

CAPTION(S):

GROUNDS FOR CONCERN: The Olympic Stadium in Athens hosted the Games in 2004, but was made for athletics and not football fans says UEFA; POLICY: Rick Parry