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Liverpool and Everton fans have expressed dismay over the controversial police operation ahead of today's FA Cup Derby Day clash.

Merseyside Police have imposed a dispersal zone in a wide area around Anfield and taken the decision to separate the two sets of fans outside the stadium ahead of the 4.01pm kick off.

The move means that the Fan Park on Anfield Road will be closed, and the Fans Supporting Food Banks van will be relocated from its usual spot to the Shankly Gates.

Liverpool FC says the decision was taken due to the higher than normal allocation of tickets to away fans, with 7,900 seats made available to the Blues for the FA Cup match as opposed to 2,900 for Premier League games.

A statement on the club website also says: "Everton supporters who are planning to join the walk up from County Road should do so at least one-and-a-half hours prior to kick-off to allow time for supporters to enter the stadium safely before the start of the game.

"Late arrival could result in delayed entry to the stadium and therefore fans may risk missing kick-off."

But prominent Reds fan group Spirit of Shankly (SOS), and Everton equivalent, the Blue Union, have criticised the plan and expressed disappointment at not being consulted ahead of the fixture.

What the fans' groups had to say

In an joint open letter to Merseyside Police and their respective clubs, the two groups said: "Liverpool and Everton have met at Anfield in FA Cup ties before with the number of away fans increasing in proportion to the capacity without the need to close Anfield Road to Liverpool fans nor to publish a Section 34 dispersal notice in advance of the game being played.

"These actions are unprecedented and lead to wider implications. These implications include impact on the local community, the closure of the fan zone and the moving of the foodbank collection point.

"Wider Implications include the view of football, Liverpool and Everton especially and the potential precedent for future matches between the clubs.

"The changes made for this game appear to us to be heavy handed, disproportionate and out of touch with the reality of the overwhelming majority of Liverpool and Everton match going fans.

"All of these could and should have been discussed and debated in what had been up until recently the tried and trusted way of engaging with fans beforehand."

The letter states that the fans are "not naive" about the issues that can arise in games but said they had been "led to believe" that in the recent Premier League derby clash, attended by 54,000 people, there were only two arrests.

Merseyside Police claimed the measures are not about "segregating fans" and said that fans had been consulted in meetings after the previous derby.

The police statement in full

In a statement to the ECHO, Chief Inspector Paul Sutcliffe said: "Following the last derby fixture we met with the clubs and fan groups to debrief the event and discuss plans for the forthcoming FA Cup fixture, and every measure we have introduced has been brought in to ensure the safety of all supporters, as well as local residents, on the day of the game.

“The measures we are undertaking on Anfield Road are not about segregating fans.

"We have vast experience policing derby matches and know that fans of both clubs will mix with their family, friends and neighbours - regardless of whether they are Red or Blue - in the run up to this game, and it is an occasion that should be celebrated.

“The away allocation for this fixture is much larger than a Premier League match, and the steps we have taken are about getting the 7,900 Everton fans expected to attend into the ground safely. We have worked with both clubs and fan groups to achieve this.

"As with all fixtures at Anfield, we will have officers on duty at the ground, both uniformed and plain clothed, supported by mobile CCTV provided by Liverpool City Council, and specialist resources including the Dog Section, mounted police and the National Police Air Service. We will also have a city centre policing plan in place throughout the day. This is standard procedure.

"We know that this will be a busy operation and we hope that fans attending the match will act as ambassadors for their clubs.

"As usual we would ask fans with tickets to arrive at the ground as early as possible. Fans without tickets should not attend at all; they will not be allowed entry into the stadium."

Fans' reaction

On social media individual fans reacted with anger and frustrated to the announcements.

@keeftommo tweeted: "The implication from Merseyside Police that an increased allocation for Everton fans is more likely to cause trouble is, frankly, a f****** disgraceful slight against us and by association, the reds."

Journalist Dave Downie tweeted: "They’ve only been playing each other for 126 years.

"You can count on one hand the amount of incidents between the two, but now all of a sudden it’s turned into Green Street according to the police. Surely the implementation of this breeds potential hostilities?"

@Toddy0011 said: "Pathetic from the police. Draconian, unnecessary and out of touch."

@Tizzer1965 said: "Where was this zone when Napoli was marching through the streets?"

Not all fans disagreed with the clubs' and police approach however.

On Facebook, Jonathan Mushrow posted: " Unfortunately needs doing been loads of clashes before and after the last few derby and with even bigger away allocation and the Sunday evening kick off time can't blame the police for doing it.

"It ain't the police fault the fans can't behave."

Mark O'Connor wrote: "To be fair it is getting more nasty as someone who lives next to the ground it's been going off in the streets last few derbies."

The dispersal zone gives police the power to ask anyone within the designated area to leave for 24 hours or face arrest.

Community Inspector Graeme Rooney said: "This order is not about bothering people going about their legitimate daily business, or the overwhelming majority of football fans who are going to enjoy what should be a great occasion for the city.

"But we recognise the impact anti-social behaviour can have on individuals and communities, and we will be targeting people involved in this type of behaviour."

More information about attending the match can be found here .