| Heysel Stadium Disaster |
Website Links For Stadium |
Information AboutHeysel Stadium Disaster |
|
EVENTS There has never been an official inquiry into the causes of the disaster, but the main events are well established. On May 29, 1985, Liverpool FC played Juventus in the European Cup final. Built in the 1920s , the Heysel Stadium was outdated and in retrospect, not a suitable venue for a match such as the European Cup Final. The game was due to be the last match ever played at the ground, as it had been condemned many years previously for failing to meet modern standards of safety and design. As a result, little money had been spent upon it, and large parts of the stadium were crumbling. The Belgian authorities had allocated a section of the ground at the Liverpool end to neutral fans. This was an idea opposed by Liverpool and Juventus, as it would easily provide an arena for fans of both clubs to obtain tickets from ticket and travel agencies or from ticket Touts outside the ground and thus evade measures designed to segregate the fans of both clubs. Brussels has a large Italian community, and many expatriate Juventus fans bought tickets in the section allocated to neutral supporters. The end behind each goal was divided into three sections. While Juve fans had all three portions at one end, Liverpool's contingent was shoehorned into two at the other end, the third being for 'neutrals'. However, anyone who turned up at the ground on the morning of the match could buy tickets for the neutral 'Z' segment, which was, by kick-off time, reasonably sparsely populated, to the obvious annoyance of those Liverpool supporters suqeezed into the next section. Many felt the ground was patently unsafe for football, with Liverpool Chief Executive Peter Robinson urging UEFA to use another venue. Heysel had been built in 1930 and its concrete terraces were literally crumbling before the final and there were holes in the outer wall, allowing many entry without tickets. Many fans without tickets found that it was possible to enter the ground by simply lifting a section of the flimsy breezeblock fencing that surrounded the terraces. There had been skirmishes around Brussels all day, and local police responded by getting fans into the stadium as quickly as possible, rather than arresting and detaining offenders. This haphazard stewarding of rival fans proved to be crucial as the tragedy unfolded: as there was no way of knowing who was in the ground and where they were, it was impossible for police to weed out known troublemakers, and easy for pockets of hardcore Hooligans to assemble wherever they wished. As a result, two hours before kick off, the situation inside the stadium had become extremely dangerous. It was reported that fans from other English clubs were present and intent on causing trouble. There were contingents from many "firms" all over the country, from Luton MIGS to Millwall Bushwackers, West Ham ICF and Newcastle Toon Army. The presence of so many firms was most likely inspired by the events of the 1984 European Cup final held in Rome , in which Liverpool had played AS Roma (the final site was selected months in advance, before UEFA could possibly have known who would be playing). Liverpool had won the match, but their supporters were attacked afterwards by violent Italian Ultra hooligans. After the events in Rome, club rivalries had been put aside: Juventus were to catch the full fury of the English hooligan elite. THE CONFRONTATION Although this was clearly a disaster waiting to happen, there were moments of early-morning friendly fraternisation between fans - particularly in the sun-drenched Grand Place in central Brussels that morning, where a couple of newlyweds emerged from the ceremony to be serenaded by groups of Liverpool and Juventus fans and draped with scarves. But as the day wore on, thirsts were slaked. Supermarket trolleys and broken, emptied beer bottles littered the elegant Grand Place by mid-afternoon. An upmarket jeweller's window nearby was broken and items looted. The mood darkened. What were initially scuffles quickly escalated into a series of serious battles. Liverpool fans in the section immediately behind the goal began taunting some of the fans in the neutral section - many locally-based Juve fans. Overcrowded, some tried to pull down the dividing fence to make more space for themselves in neighbouring Z section. Juve fans in Z - who formed no overhwleming majority, indeed there were Liverpool supporters in the same pen - feared what might follow, but some started to taunt their rivals. The crumbling terraces provided missiles for both sets of fans. As kick-off approached, the 'stoning' grew and the Juve fans in Z cowered away towards the corner flag at the front of the terracing. However, they simply piled on top of each other, in part from the mass of numbers and also because some lost their footing on the broken steps. Panic set in, and some fans were now starting to be crushed. At this moment, with police and stewards too stunned to react, a wall at the far end of the terrace gave way. Dozens of supporters were now trapped against what remained of the wall, and were trampled underfoot as thousands of people stampeded over them. Press photographs, never published, showed victims having the life crushed out of them... It was at this point that the majority of the deaths occurred - 39 people (32 Italians, 4 Belgians, two Frenchmen and an Irishman) died. Meanwhile, the police stood by, clearly confused and unable to agree on a plan for action, worsening the situation. Bodies were carried away on sections of iron fencing and laid in piles outside, covered with giant football flags. But as police and medical helicopters flew in, the down-draught blew away the modest coverings. There was organisational chaos. Stewards guarding the Section Z gates disappeared. The police took time to realise the extent of what was unfolding. Despite the scale of the disaster, it was felt that abandoning the game risked inciting further trouble, and the match eventually kicked off. Juventus won 1-0 with a controversial Penalty , scored by Michel Platini (TV replays showed the foul which resulted in the penalty was outside the box). AFTERMATH As a direct result of this event, The Football Association , perhaps in a pre-emptive move to avoid heavier punishment from UEFA, banned Liverpool from participating in European competition indefinitely, and all other English clubs, including League champions Everton , for five years. Liverpool's ban was eventually set to expire after ten years, later reduced to six. English clubs also began to impose stricter rules intended to make it easier to prevent trouble-makers from attending games. For example, 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. The Heysel stadium itself has since been completely rebuilt, and is now called the King Baudouin Stadium . During , all the members of the Italian team left flowers on the site, in honour to the dead fans of Juventus. Juventus and Liverpool were drawn together in the quarterfinals of the 2005 Champions League final. This match took place in the 20th anniversary year of the tragedy, and was the first time the clubs had met in a match since Heysel. Liverpool won the first leg of the encounter at home 2-1 with goals by Sami Hyypiä and Luis García . The second leg, played in Turin , ended goalless, sending Liverpool through to the semifinals with a 2-1 aggregate victory. By the end of the match, Juventus fans turned their anger towards their own team in the form of chants and boos. Both 2005 matches were marred by minor problems, despite many measures taken to stop violence and Anti-social Behaviour , including public expressions of forgiveness and reconcilliation between major figures in the two clubs. However, these problems were milder than feared by the authorities. Only 50 Juventus supporters turned their backs on a banner of forgiveness and friendship brought into Anfield before the first leg; soon before the second leg, a Liverpool supporter was assaulted in a bar in Turin by a gang of Juventus supporters; and there was some minor throwing of missiles by a small number of fans from both clubs minutes before kick-off of the second leg. REFERENCES IN POP CULTURE
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|