Liverpool FC staff party halted due to drug scare

The Liverpool FC staff Christmas party at the city’s Anglican Cathedral was called off early amid reports of suspected drug paraphernalia being found.

The football club confirmed that an “incident” had occurred on Thursday night, and said: “We do not condone or tolerate the use of illegal substances at any of our sites or events.”

None of the club’s players or first team manager Arne Slot were present at the event, held for non-footballing staff.

The party was ended by cathedral staff, which said in a statement that an “incident” had occurred “which was not in line with our values”.

Details emerged in newspaper reports, which stated that the search was prompted by one of the attendees suffering from a “medical episode”.

Liverpool FC said the staff member was “recovering” after being treated in hospital and that the medical incident was “unrelated” to other concerns.

Photos shared by club staff on

A statement from Liverpool FC said: “We do not condone or tolerate the use of illegal substances at any of our sites or events.

“We thank the events team at the venue for their prompt action and professional response to the medical emergency which was unrelated.

“The staff member is recovering.”

Liverpool Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Britain and the fifth largest in the world, said it hosts such events to help keep the site open to the public and free to enter.

A representative said: “During an event last week, an incident occurred that was not in line with our core values.

“The team on duty followed the correct procedures to end the event quickly.

“We would like to thank our staff and Liverpool FC for their prompt action and partnership, and will continue to review our procedures and mitigation measures for future incidents.”