The 29th of May remains a day of remembrance for both Juventus & Liverpool fans. On that day in 1985, 39 football fans perished when a wall collapsed at the Heysel stadium during the European Cup final.
Instead of departing Belgium having watched our team win a 5th European Cup, Liverpool fans made the trip back to England having witnessed the deaths of 38 Italian citizens and one Belgian. What could have been a memorable occasion for all the right reasons turned into a living nightmare.
What is possibly the most tragic element of that night though is the fact that it could have possibly been avoided. Liverpool had made clear concerns with match officials before the game, but these concerns fell on deaf ears.
The club raised concerns about the suitability of the venue - the Heysel stadium being quite old and crumbling in places. Liverpool's biggest worry though was the fact that there was to be a neutral part of the stadium for football fans from Belgium. The club raised the concern that fans of both clubs would get tickets for that area.
The club's fears were confirmed, as both Liverpool and Juventus fans ended up in the 'neutral' area. One hour before the match was due to kick off several eye witnesses saw missiles being thrown from the Italian supporters following which some fans from the Liverpool end ran at them.
Unable to escape, the fans in that area of the ground turned back towards the far wall, which fell down due to the additional pressure. 39 supporters perished on that spot, mostly Italians, and all English football clubs were afterwards prevented from entering European tournaments for 5 years, with the Reds receiving an extra 2 year ban.
What transpired that night will always be a dark stain on the history of the club. Rather than brushing it under the carpet though, it needs to be remembered and lessons need to be learned.
What is possibly the most tragic element of that night though is the fact that it could have possibly been avoided. Liverpool had made clear concerns with match officials before the game, but these concerns fell on deaf ears.
The club raised concerns about the suitability of the venue - the Heysel stadium being quite old and crumbling in places. Liverpool's biggest worry though was the fact that there was to be a neutral part of the stadium for football fans from Belgium. The club raised the concern that fans of both clubs would get tickets for that area.
The club's fears were confirmed, as both Liverpool and Juventus fans ended up in the 'neutral' area. One hour before the match was due to kick off several eye witnesses saw missiles being thrown from the Italian supporters following which some fans from the Liverpool end ran at them.
Unable to escape, the fans in that area of the ground turned back towards the far wall, which fell down due to the additional pressure. 39 supporters perished on that spot, mostly Italians, and all English football clubs were afterwards prevented from entering European tournaments for 5 years, with the Reds receiving an extra 2 year ban.
What transpired that night will always be a dark stain on the history of the club. Rather than brushing it under the carpet though, it needs to be remembered and lessons need to be learned.
In 2005, the clubs met for the first time since the disaster - in the quarter-final of the Champions League. It was Liverpool's first opportunity to apologise on a public stage, and the club grabbed the opportunity with both hands, making a presentation to Juventus officials before the game & the Kop forming a mosaic in memory of the victims.
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