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The Heysel Stadium disaster took place at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, on May 29, 1985, shortly before the European Cup football final of that year between Liverpool FC of England and Juventus FC of Italy.

About an hour or so before the match was due to kick off, 39 people, mostly Italian fans of Juventus, were killed when dozens of Liverpool supporters breached a separating fence and charged at Juventus supporters, causing a huge crush against a stadium wall which subsequently collapsed.

Despite the disaster, the game was played. As a result, Liverpool were banned from all European football competitions for six years, while all other English football teams were banned for five years.

The disaster has been called “the darkest hour in the history of the UEFA competitions.”[1]

Contents

[edit] Arrangements prior to the game

The Heysel Stadium was built in 1930 and had hosted many European football finals over the years. The final of 1985 was due to be the last major final played there as the stadium had been de-commissioned by UEFA[2]

Juventus had been allocated tickets for one end of the stadium, while Liverpool had been allocated approximately 11,000 tickets for 2 of 3 sections (sections X and Y) at the other end of the stadium. The third section, section Z, had been allocated to so-called “neutral” supporters. The tickets for that section had been sold in Belgium, but as Brussels had a large ex-patriate Italian community, many supporters of Juventus had bought those tickets.[3] A small number of Liverpool supporters had also bought tickets for that section. Fans reported that tickets were available in bars in Brussels before the game[2]

[edit] The events of May 29

[edit] Before the game

Liverpool and Juventus fans had gathered in the centre of Brussels during the day and many had spent the day drinking and singing in the city's main square and surrounding streets. Some supporters had swapped scarves, jerseys and hats, but there had also been reports of trouble and some arrests during the day. Supporters had arrived at the stadium waving flags, chanting and letting off fireworks.

Officially, there were nearly 60,000 people inside the stadium. Some Liverpool players were reported to have noticed a hostile atmosphere amongst the crowd when they walked onto the pitch before the game, and noted that some fans were carrying "bricks" which turned out to be parts of the stadium itself[4].

[edit] The disaster

The trouble started about 90 minutes before the game was due to kick off, although it's unclear exactly how the hostilities inside the stadium began. Section Y contained only supporters of Liverpool, while section Z contained many supporters of Juventus, plus a few Liverpool fans who'd bought tickets for that section in Belgium. The two sections were separated by a chicken wire fence, next to which a thin line of police were stationed[4].

Accounts broadly agree that there was baiting and taunting going on between the two sets of supporters on either side of the separating fence, and many eye-witnesses have also said that missiles were thrown. The hostilities between them increased until eventually some Liverpool supporters started to breach the fencing into section Z. The police intervened to try and stop this, but they were unable to prevent more and more from climbing over and through the fencing. Those that got through the fencing began running at the Juventus fans in section Z. It appears that they then fell back before charging again in greater numbers.[5][2]

Because of the large numbers of Liverpool fans stampeding towards them, the supporters in section Z retreated back to the opposite side of the section. This caused a huge crush of hundreds of people against the wall of the stadium. The fences and advertising hoardings at the front of the terrace were removed to try and allow people to escape the crush. Within a short time however, the pressure on the stadium wall caused it to collapse. This allowed some people to escape over the now-collapsed wall, while others were crushed and trampled beneath the mass of people.[4][6]

In all, 39 people died and several hundred were injured. The Red Cross soon arrived on the scene to give help to the injured, as did other spectators and even Liverpool supporters [7]. The bodies of those killed were removed and placed outside the stadium.

[edit] The victims

The supporters who died were:

Rocco Acerra (29); Bruno Balli (50); Alfons Bos; Giancarlo Bruschera (21); Andrea Casula (11); Giovanni Casula (44); Nino Cerrullo (24); Willy Chielens; Giuseppina Conti (17); Dirk Daenecky; Dionisio Fabbro (51); Jacques François; Eugenio Gagliano (35); Francesco Galli (25); Giancarlo Gonnelli (20); Alberto Guarini (21); Giovacchino Landini (50); Roberto Lorentini (31); Barbara Lusci (58); Franco Martelli (46); Loris Messore (28); Gianni Mastrolaco (20); Sergio Bastino Mazzino (38); Luciano Rocco Papaluca (38); Luigi Pidone (31); Bento Pistolato (50); Patrick Radcliffe; Domenico Ragazzi (44); Antonio Ragnanese (29); Claude Robert; Mario Ronchi (43); Domenico Russo (28); Tarcisio Salvi (49); Gianfranco Sarto (47); Amedeo Giuseppe Spalaore (55); Mario Spanu (41); Tarcisio Venturin (23); Jean Michel Walla; Claudio Zavaroni (28)

Of the supporters who died, 32 were Italian, 4 Belgian, 2 French and 1 Irish.

[edit] Further trouble

At the other end of the stadium, scores of Juventus fans broke through the perimeter fences after seeing the trouble unfold, and advanced towards the Liverpool end. The police fought with supporters of both sides for some time in an attempt to quell the violence and restore order, and extra riot police were brought in to try to contain the situation. Eventually the police were able to force fans back into their respective ends of the stadium, while section Z where the tragedy occurred was cleared.

[edit] The game

UEFA authorities decided that the game should be played, as they felt that abandoning it could cause further trouble. Troops from the Belgian army were brought in as an extra security measure, and the match eventually kicked off over an hour late. Juventus won 1-0 with a penalty scored by Michel Platini.

There are varying accounts as to how much the players knew of the events before they played match. Liverpool player Alan Kennedy observed some of the events out on the pitch and reported them back to his team-mates[4], as did Juventus players, and UEFA officials informed the teams that there had been trouble and some deaths.

[edit] Reaction to the disaster

[edit] English teams banned from Europe

Reaction to the disaster was swift. On May 31 British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher put pressure upon the FA to withdraw English clubs from European competition,[8]and then two days later UEFA banned English clubs for "an indeterminate period of time". On June 6 FIFA extended the ban to all worldwide matches, but this was modified one week later to allow friendly matches to take place. The ban did not apply to the English national team. The ban was finally set to be ten years exclusion for Liverpool and all other English clubs were banned for five years. Liverpool in the end only served six years of the ten year ban.

[edit] Perpetrators brought to justice

Many blamed the violent behaviour and actions of Liverpool supporters for the disaster. On May 30 official UEFA observer Gunter Schneider said "Only the English fans were responsible. Of that there is no doubt."[8]

The British police undertook a thorough investigation to bring to justice the perpetrators. 17 minutes of film and many still photographs were examined. TV Eye produced an hour-long programme featuring the footage and the British press also published the photographs. There were 27 arrests on suspicion of manslaughter – the only extraditable offence applicable to events at Heysel. Approximately 60 per cent were from Liverpool and the remainder from places that ranged from Aberdeen to Ipswich. Some of these people had previous convictions for football related violence. In 1989, after a 5-month trial in Belgium, fourteen Liverpool fans were given 3-year sentences for involuntary manslaughter[7]. Half the terms were suspended [9] and it is unclear how many served their sentences.

[edit] Causes of the disaster

Although, officially, the blame for the disaster was laid entirely upon the Liverpool supporters who charged at the fans in section Z, there are other opinions about other factors which contributed to the disaster:

  • Choice of venue - It's felt that UEFA were at fault for choosing to play the game in such an old and dilapidated stadium. Supporters at the game said that the stadium was literally falling apart, with some able to go in and out of the ground through holes in the wall[3]. Chunks of concrete were also lying around, which some claim were used as missiles.
  • Ticketing arrangements - Prior to the game, Liverpool Chief Executive Peter Robinson and Juventus officials had complained to UEFA that having a section allocated to "neutral" supporters would allow Liverpool and Juventus fans to get tickets for that section, and thus create a mixed area with potential for trouble[10] [11]. It was suggested that only Liverpool and Juventus supporters be allocated tickets, and not neutrals. In addition, the then British Sports Minister Neil Macfarlane tried to contact the UEFA secretary the day before the game expressing alarm at reports he'd been given by Liverpool chairman John Smith that segregation at the match might not be adequate[8].
  • Policing - People at the game have said that there weren’t enough police on duty to cope with the volume of supporters at the stadium, and the police's response to the trouble was inadequate[7]. Supporters have also said that they didn’t have their tickets checked when they entered the stadium, which led to the stadium becoming overcrowded[3], and that the police had a heavy-handed attitude and seemed inexperienced at dealing with a major football final.[10]
  • The 1984 European Cup Final – Liverpool had beaten AS Roma in the previous year’s European Cup Final, and after that game, Liverpool supporters were attacked by Roma supporters. Some have suggested that the bad feeling this caused amongst Liverpool fans was vented against the supporters of another Italian side, Juventus, in the 1985 final.[5][12]

[edit] Other criticisms

There's never been an official enquiry into the events, and some feel that there are others, such as UEFA and the Belgian police, who haven't been brought to account for their actions. Some people have also said that the decision to ban all English clubs from Europe was made too hastily.

Some have also questioned both Liverpool and Juventus FC's actions in the aftermath of the disaster. Some people said that Liverpool and their supporters focussed on other reasons as to why the disaster happened, and didn't face up to the behaviour of their supporters at Heysel[3]. Juventus have also been criticized, even by some of their former players, for ignoring the tragedy by not showing proper sensitivity to the victims and their families [7].

[edit] Consequences for football in England

The ban from European competition undoubtedly had a profound effect on the game in England. Before the 5-year ban English clubs had been dominant in European competition with 6 consecutive European cup victories, 1977–1982, and again in 1984. Since the ban ended in 1990 English teams have only won the tournament twice. Liverpool already captured four titles within the 6 year span, but they would have to wait twenty years to win the fifth.

After Heysel English clubs began to impose stricter rules intended to make it easier to prevent trouble-makers from attending games. However the main reforms did not come until after the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 people died in 1989.

An example of the new rules is that fans are now often required to become members of clubs in order to apply for game tickets, and closed-circuit cameras have been installed throughout stadiums. Fans who misbehave can have their tickets revoked and be legally barred from attending games at any English stadium.

[edit] Teams affected by the ban

During the duration of the ban arising from the Heysel tragedy, 16 teams missed out on the chance to play in the three European competitions.

Club European Cup UEFA Cup Cup Winners' Cup
Everton 1985-86, 1987-88 1988-89 1986-87
Liverpool 1986-87, 1988-89, 1990-91 1985-86, 1987-88 1989-90
Arsenal 1989-90 1987-88
Norwich City 1985-86, 1987-88, 1989-90
Tottenham Hotspur 1985-86, 1987-88
Southampton 1985-86
Manchester United 1986-87, 1988-89 1985-86
West Ham United 1986-87
Sheffield Wednesday 1986-87
Oxford United 1986-87
Nottingham Forest 1988-89, 1989-90
Luton Town 1988-89
Queens Park Rangers 1988-89
Derby County 1989-90
Coventry City 1987-88
Wimbledon 1988-89

Even after the ban was lifted in 1990, English teams had to wait five seasons before earning back all of the European places which they had held before 1985. This affected seven teams, who missed qualification for the UEFA Cup until and including the 1994-95 tournament.

Season Club(s)
1990-91 Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest
1991-92 Leeds United, Manchester City, Sheffield Wednesday
1992-93 Arsenal, Manchester City
1993-94 Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers
1994-95 Leeds United

[edit] Commemorations

The Kop creates a mosaic saying "Amicizia" ("Friendship")
The Kop creates a mosaic saying "Amicizia" ("Friendship")

During Euro 2000, all the members of the Italian team left flowers on the site, in honour to the dead fans of Juventus.

On May 29, 2005, a £140,000 sculpture was unveiled at the new Heysel stadium, to commemorate the disaster. The monument is a sundial designed by French artist Patrick Rimoux and includes Italian and Belgian stone and the poem Funeral Blues by Englishman W. H. Auden to symbolise the sorrow of the three nations. 39 lights shine, one for each who died that night.[13]

Juventus and Liverpool were drawn together in the quarter-finals of the 2005 Champions League. This match took place 20 years after the tragedy and was the first time the clubs faced each other since Heysel. Before the first leg at Anfield Liverpool fans held up placards to form a banner saying "amicizia" ("friendship" in Italian). Some Juventus fans applauded the gesture, but there were also others who turned their backs.[14]

The second leg in Turin was played against a backdrop of crowd trouble as Juventus fans clashed with police, attacked Liverpool supporters and threw missiles.[15] Liverpool ended up winning the tie 2-1, enroute to their 2005 Champions League victory.

[edit] References in pop culture

  • Composer Michael Nyman made a song called "Memorial" which was originally part of a larger work of the same name written in 1985 in memory of the Juventus fans who died at Heysel Stadium.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Quote from UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson in 2004, uefa.com
  2. ^ a b c 1985: "A bad time to be English". BBC news. Retrieved on 31 Oct 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d Liverpool still torn over night that shamed their name. The Guardian. Retrieved on 24 May 2006.
  4. ^ a b c d Lost lives that saved a sport. The Guardian. Retrieved on 15 June 2006.
  5. ^ a b Heysel: the tragedy that should never have happened. The Times. Retrieved on 24 May 2006.
  6. ^ 1985: Fans die in Heysel rioting. BBC News. Retrieved on 24 May 2006.
  7. ^ a b c d The witnesses. The Guardian. Retrieved on 27 May 2006.
  8. ^ a b c Thatcher set to demand FA ban on games in Europe. The Guardian. Retrieved on 27 May 2006.
  9. ^ Liverpool remembers Heysel. BBC News. Retrieved on 24 May 2006.
  10. ^ a b LFC Story 1985. Liverpool Official Website. Retrieved on 24 May 2006.
  11. ^ Night of mayhem in Brussels that will never be forgotten. The Times. Retrieved on 24 May 2006.
  12. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named dalglish
  13. ^ Anniversary monument honours Heysel dead. The Times. Retrieved on 30 August 2006.
  14. ^ Mixed reactions to Heysel homage. BBC News. Retrieved on 15 June 2006.
  15. ^ Juventus 0-0 Liverpool. BBC News. Retrieved on 15 June 2006.

[edit] External links

Category:History of English football Category:History of Brussels Category:1985 disasters Category:Stampedes Category:Stadium disasters Category:Football in Belgium Category:Football in Italy Category:Sport in Brussels Category:European Cup Category:Liverpool F.C. Category:Juventus F.C.

{{ar:كارثة ملعب هيسيل]]