Heysel: In Memoriam (12 Viewers)
- Thread starter gray
- Start date
PAOLO ROSSI talking about that night
THE day before the game, when we had our last training session at the Heysel Stadium, we were all surprised about the stadium's condition.
It was old and crumbling.
On the night of the match, the news came that there were some fights, but think of it like this: we were about to play one of the most important games of our career.
That tension, added to the confusion around the lack of information, created a strange feeling.
The final responsibility on whether to play came down to the Uefa directors.
They received blame later but I still believe it was the right decision to play.
Now, I don't know what to think about our celebrations.
I felt mixed emotions: Tension, rage and also happiness. I can't deny that I feel embarassed for that happiness.
Someone accused us of having danced over the bodies of 39 dead fans.
That's a charge I firmly reject.
We wanted to win for our families and fans. We played to win as Liverpool did.
But we didn't lack respect on the pitch for the reason that we didn't know anything.
I'll never get tired of repeating that.
A few years later, Michel Platini said that we were like the clown in the circus, who is sent on stage after the trapeze artist has failed. I agree with that analogy.
Once I spoke to Platini's wife, who told me that Michel wanted to give everything up.
In his head was the fact that a Frenchman, who died at Heysel, had come to see him play.
That broke Michel.
I've never gone back to Brussels since. I don't think I could cope with such an emotional return.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4136,106785,00.html
THE day before the game, when we had our last training session at the Heysel Stadium, we were all surprised about the stadium's condition.
It was old and crumbling.
On the night of the match, the news came that there were some fights, but think of it like this: we were about to play one of the most important games of our career.
That tension, added to the confusion around the lack of information, created a strange feeling.
The final responsibility on whether to play came down to the Uefa directors.
They received blame later but I still believe it was the right decision to play.
Now, I don't know what to think about our celebrations.
I felt mixed emotions: Tension, rage and also happiness. I can't deny that I feel embarassed for that happiness.
Someone accused us of having danced over the bodies of 39 dead fans.
That's a charge I firmly reject.
We wanted to win for our families and fans. We played to win as Liverpool did.
But we didn't lack respect on the pitch for the reason that we didn't know anything.
I'll never get tired of repeating that.
A few years later, Michel Platini said that we were like the clown in the circus, who is sent on stage after the trapeze artist has failed. I agree with that analogy.
Once I spoke to Platini's wife, who told me that Michel wanted to give everything up.
In his head was the fact that a Frenchman, who died at Heysel, had come to see him play.
That broke Michel.
I've never gone back to Brussels since. I don't think I could cope with such an emotional return.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4136,106785,00.html
Exactly...
I couldn't find a smily that can accompany these great words...
I had many times some arguments with Roma and Milan fans that criticized Juve because we kept playing that night after that disaster, saying that Juve is a club that doesn't care about its fans...
After reading these words, I can exactly understand how the players reacted that night...
R.I.P Juventini...
I couldn't find a smily that can accompany these great words...
I had many times some arguments with Roma and Milan fans that criticized Juve because we kept playing that night after that disaster, saying that Juve is a club that doesn't care about its fans...
After reading these words, I can exactly understand how the players reacted that night...
R.I.P Juventini...
Let's not forget Heysel Tragedy
39 people were killed in the wild riots that broke out before the Champions Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool on May 29 in 1985. 400 people got injured in the tragedy in Brussels. Hundreds of Millions of shocked Televison viewers could almost not believe what they were seeing. This was one of the worst incidents in the history of sport and the consequence was that English clubs were banned from European tournaments. The riots started 1,5 hours before the game when the Liverpool fans reacted to provocation, broke through a small fence and attacked the Juventus supporters. The Italians fled and many were crushed against a three meter high brick wall that collapsed. Many fans died under the remains of the wall. Some fans were killed by beating, and the englishmen even used rocks and knifes to worsen the situation. Liverpool supporters charged Juventus supporters, causing 39 deaths. The circumstances under which this dreadful event occurred reveal a far more complex set of causes, and an insight into terrace culture at the height of the football hooligan phenomenon.
The events in Rome in 1984
It can be argued that the Heysel Stadium Tragedy really began the year before. Liverpool had reached the European Cup Final for the fourth time in their history. The Final was to be held on the home ground of their opponents, AS Roma. After a tense game, Liverpool won in a penalty shoot-out. What received rather less coverage was the roaming scooter gangs hunting down Liverpool supporters, stabbing and slashing dozens, many of whom were family groups returning to hotels in the area. One 13-year-old boy was almost ripped apart, needing 200 stitches in his face alone. Many hoteliers refused to let their English guests in, either out of spite or for fear of subsequent attacks on their premises. There was little protection from the Italian Police, who routinely attacked and robbed English supporters in revenge for the defeat of the local team. That night, many desperate English fans, deserted by Italian coach drivers booked to drive them to Rome airport, sought sanctuary at the British Embassy. After the events in Rome, club rivalries in England had been put aside: Juventus were to catch the full fury of the English hooligan elite. It should be understood that not just Liverpool hooligans were present. There were contingents from a great many firms all over the country, from Luton MIGS to Millwall Bushwackers, West Ham ICF and Newcastle Toon Army.
Hooligan culture in the 1980's
There have been countless attempts to rationalise football hooliganism. Many cite what is seen as the inherent violence of the English working class. Others argue that somehow fighting is in the gene pool, a nation that has sent almost every generation of its men folk to war throughout antiquity has produced a social stratum naturally predisposed to violent disorder. It could simply be that if 40,000 people are crammed into one place and given even the slenderest reason to confront each other, there will be a small proportion that will do so, and a greater proportion that will allow themselves to be drawn in. Whatever the reasons, by the mid-1980s violence was endemic in and around football grounds throughout England. With little closed-circuit television and largely indifferent policing, hooligan 'firms' had carte blanche to set about each other wherever they met. Indeed, terrace violence had attained a certain glamour.
Although the major London firms of West Ham, Millwall and Chelsea attracted the most media attention, almost any club was capable of attracting hundreds if not thousands of willing combatants. Leeds United were particularly notorious, as were Newcastle United, Cardiff City, Swansea City, and the Sheffield and Manchester clubs. Violence between Cardiff and Swansea was so bad that for a while it seemed likely that the fixture would be deleted from the season's programme altogether, and the result decided by the Pools panel. In Cambridge, city councillors attempted to ban visiting supporters after Millwall wrecked the city centre. Luton Town went one step further and actually did ban opposing supporters, simultaneously introducing an identity card scheme for home fans after Millwall fans rioted through their town. 'Spotters' were employed to report on the movements of opposing supporters. The banning of alcohol from grounds did little to stem the violence. Injecting oranges with vodka was one imaginative solution. Others simply drank outside the ground or took drugs. Most were happy enough to 'mix it' while completely sober.
Despite the prevailing terrace culture, Liverpool supporters had no particular reputation for violence, outside of an intense rivalry with Manchester United (during the 1985 FA Cup semi-final between the teams, supporters had hurled golf balls with eight inch nails driven through them at each other). However, news of what had happened in Rome spread quickly. It became clear that some sort of reprisal was considered to be in order. The perfect opportunity presented itself the following year, when Liverpool again reached the European Cup Final and again faced an Italian team, Juventus of Turin. Even the most placid terrace fan knew that there was going to be unfinished business to attend to at the Heysel Stadium.
Terrible organization
Built in the 1920s, the Heysel Stadium was quite simply the worst venue in the world to host such a volatile encounter. 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. There was little segregation of supporters, a factor exacerbated by the indiscriminate selling of black market tickets by touts. Many fans found that it was possible to enter the ground by simply lifting a section of the flimsy 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 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 hard core hooligans to assemble wherever they wished. As a result, two hours before kick off, perhaps the most malevolent assembly of football supporters ever seen in one place had gathered, and as far as they were concerned, it was payback time. It should be understood that not just Liverpool hooligans were present. There were contingents from a great many firms all over the country.
The wall that crumbled
Violence was immediate. Italian fascists, who were present in force among the Juventus contingent, goaded supporters into making incursions into the main body of Liverpool fans, at the Western end of an enormous shared terrace. What were initially scuffles quickly escalated into a series of serious terrace battles. Then, 20:45 local time, something dreadful happened. The Liverpool fans charged into a solid mass of Juventus support, which was hemmed in on three sides by crumbling concrete walls. Unstoppable force had met immovable object.
The Juventus supporters attempted to fall back. However, with no avenue of retreat, they simply piled on top of each other. Panic set in among the Italians, some of whom were now starting to be crushed at the rear of the terrace as the Liverpool supporters continued to charge against the front. At this moment, with police and stewards too stunned to react, a wall at the Eastern end of the terrace gave way. Dozens of Juventus supporters were now trapped against what remained of the wall, and were trampled underfoot as thousands of people stampeded over them. It was at this point that the majority of the deaths occurred.
Meanwhile, there was mayhem in the ground itself. Italian supporters invaded the pitch in an effort to get at the English. All over the stadium violence erupted. It appeared that one Italian fan was firing a gun into the Liverpool fans: this later turned out to be a starting pistol. In desperation, several Liverpool players spoke across the public address system in an attempt to calm the supporters. Eventually, with the arrival of police reinforcements and elements of the Belgian army, enough order was restored for the match to take place. Neither set of players wanted to play. However, it was felt that even more carnage might ensure if rival supporters were allowed to rampage through Brussels. In one of the most meaningless matches ever played, Juventus won 1-0 with a goal by French star Michel Platini.
The Belgian police
The belgian police were too few and totally helpless. They could only watch the terrible tragedy that was happening. Scared supporters tried to run to the pitch to save themselves, but the fighting continued there. Dead and injured people were all over, and the televison viewers could watch bleeding and screaming fans running around. The dead people were gathered outside the stadium and the injured were brought to the hospitals. Heavy police reinforcemets arrived at the stadium much too late and the players of the two clubs tried to calm down their fans. The tragedy was already a fact, but the situation could have gotten even worse. The game was played to give the police more time to handle the situation after the game. The kickoff was made almost 1,5 hours after the supposed kick off. Juventus didn't want to play, but gave in after pressure.
The belgian police were heavily criticised after the disaster for not beeing prepared. The police had already been warned that violence could occur and that they had to carefully divide the supporters of the two teams. Instead only 5 police officers divided the rival supporters and they couldn't do anything when the Liverpool supporters stormed against the Juventus supporters. Had there been a high fence, a wall or much more police officers the disaster wouldn't have happened. Many fans could have been saved if the Belgian government hadn't put opp fences between the stands and the pitch. If these fences hadn't been there, then many more supporters could have escaped from the rage of the english supporters. It is estimated that about 100 drunk englishmen started the riots. The Belgian police also told that the english supporters had behaved violently and aggresive all day. They had started riots round the historic Grand Place in Brussels, and all restaurants in the area had to close.
In the morning of the final the supporters had fraternized at first, but later that afternoon fighting broke out between the fans. After the tragedy had happened the captains of the two teams, Phil Neal and Gaetano Scirea, spoke over the speaker and told that the game would be played to allow the police to organize and prepare for when the supporters would leave the stadium. The first message that arrived told of injured people, then news came that someone had died, later it was told that 24 fans had died, before this number was adjusted up to 36. After the game it became clear that 39 persons had died, while 400 had got injured. The Juventus fans took down all their banners, while the Liverpool supporters still held up theirs. Long after the tragedy was a fact huge police and army forces arrived to the stadium to prevent further fighting, but it was all too late. When the game started the pitch was totally surrounded by a wall of armed forces. The stadium looked like a war zone.
As more and more armed forces arrived the Juventus fans attacked them. They had heard rumours about casualties and filled with rage they wanted revenge. Television pictures showed a Liverpool fan who was chased and hit with a rock in his head, another Liverpool fan wearing a Liverpool jersey ran from the Juventus fans and was later filmed bleeding from his head. The fighting bteween the Juventus supporters and the armed forces continued even after the kick off, with the Italians throwing everything they could find against the armed forces. Exactly one hour after the game should have started a small group of Juventus supporters showed a huge banner were it was written Reds Animals. On TV you could hear the Juventus supporters in the stadium applauding this banner. Juventus didn't want to play, but the kick off was still made at 21.42, over one hour later than scheduled.
The stadium
The stadium was crumbling and in no fit state to hold the game, Liverpool's Chief Executive Peter Robinson urged UEFA not to allow the game to be played there, but they didn't listen. Muck of the blame lays with UEFA and the Belgian authorities. Supporters who were present at the match described the stadium as a disgrace, certainly not fit for a European final. They said many people without tickets were able to get in through holes in walls and fences. Even some supporters who had a ticket have told that some of them never had to show it to get into the stadium. There was also inadequate policing to prevent any violence. The actions of the minority of Liverpool supporters who charged the Z zone contingent at Heysel was inexcusable, however Juventus fans cannot be excused from blame. Rumours tell that Juventus supporters had taunted, throwed stones, bottles, weapons at the Liverpool supporters during the build-up and so inevitably some so-called Liverpool fans charged and ran towards the Juventus fans, who unfortunately panicked and ran towards the wall which collapsed killing 39 fans. Some Juventus supporters also launched missiles against the Liverpool supporters.
The stadium itself was frightening to behold. Steel crush barriers at the Italian end of the terrace were bent and buckled entirely out of shape, in a grisly testament to the force of the Liverpool charge. It was in many respects fortunate that the wall had collapsed, as it is estimated that had it not done so the death toll could have been many times higher. In an unpleasant twist of fate, Liverpool supporters themselves experienced exactly what happens when force is unable to dissipate four years later, when 96 of their own number were crushed to death as a result of overcrowding at the 1989 FA Cup Semi Final at Hillsborough, England.
The reactions
Everyone agreed that the english supporters were responsible for the tragedy. The British embassy in Italy and British offices all over Italy were attacked in the days after the tragedy. The next morning, flowers were left on the doorsteps of Italian restaurants all over Liverpool. Fans arriving home seemed unable to grasp what they had witnessed. In Brussels, dozens of supporters were quizzed by police, although relatively few custodial sentences were passed. The supporters were described as 'fighting mad' by the Belgian police. One had to be injected with six times the amount of tranquilliser required to knock out a horse in order to calm down enough to be interviewed.
Official reaction was swift: English teams were banned from European competition for five years. This damaged the English game as top players, deprived of competing at European level, chose to play on the Continent instead. Also, several smaller clubs, whose domestic performances would otherwise have qualified them for the various European tournaments, missed their chance. Margaret Thatcher and the Queen issued formal apologies to the people of Belgium and Italy. Bobby Charlton told that this night he was ashamed of beeing British and that the British supporters were to blame. A series of sweeping police anti-hooligan offensives saw several known 'Generals' jailed, although many hooligans simply decided that they had seen enough, and abandoned terrace violence altogether.
The official declaration of Margareth Thatcher was: "There are no words, there are are no possible justifications; the blame is entirely for England!" Thatcher called to come inmediately to Downing Street from Mexico City, where they were, FA President Frederick A. Millichip and General Secretary Edgar A. Croker for a delicate confrontation with her Government. And two days before the UEFA's decision to ban England (June 2), the English Government expressed (May 31) its own exemplary decision about a kind of auto-exclusion at all Eurocups of all English clubs. Civil, Military and sporting Belgian Authorities envolved in the responsibility of the Final Match organisation and were found guilty. The history then ended with a series of difficult trials against only a little number of those hundreds of hooligans, some people identified by witnesses and by multimedial evidences.
There were many reasons why the circumstances surrounding the events of the 1985 European Cup Final arose. Had it not done so at the Heysel Stadium, something similar was bound to have happened somewhere, such was the level of antagonism surrounding English football at the time. Until the Heysel Stadium, the terraces of English football grounds were little more than filthy concrete expanses where tens of thousands of people were literally locked in and left to their own devices for a couple of hours every Saturday afternoon. After Heysel, the authorities were no longer able to dismiss terrace violence as little more than working class lads letting off steam. In the years that followed many of the huge fan banners on display wherever Liverpool played incorporated a Juventus flag as a mark of respect to the victims of the most shocking night European football has ever seen.
The main reasons for the tragedy:
- ROME 1984: Some british supporters wanted revenge against the italians after they received a heavy beating in Rome by the Roma supporters in 1984.
- OVERCROWDING: There were sold more tickets than the actual capacity and many managed to come in with false tickets or even without tickets. The Belgian authorities knew very well that there were thousands of false tickets circulating, but did nothing to prevent them for entering the stadium. The stadium that had a 50 000 capacity was totally overcrowded and had too much people in it.
- THE POLICE: Even if the police had been warned that there would be fighting there was almost nobody present to do something when the fighting broke out. Only 5 police officers divided the Liverpool and Juventus supporters were the fighting broke out.
- THE STADIUM: A large fence or a wall could have been enough to prevent the supporters from coming into contact. The Heysel stadium was a disgrace anw was crumbling.
- THE JUVENTUS SUPPORTERS: Some Juventus supporters had launched objects against the Liverpool supporters who then reacted and stormed against the Juventus fans.
- THE LIVERPOOL SUPPORTERS: Many drunk englishmen who behaved badly and continued to chase and press the Juventus supporters against the wall that crumbled.
- ALCOHOL: Some fans were so drunk that they didn't realize the tragedy that had happened and continued to fight instead of helping those who needed help.
- UEFA: They had done a horrible job selecting a crumbling stadium to host the final. The organization of the match was terrible.
- THE BELGIAN AUTHORITIES: They were totally unprepared and had too few police officers present at the game. The reinforcements came much too late. They didn't listen to warnings.
LEARN FROM HEYSEL: VIOLENCE IS STUPID.
39 people were killed in the wild riots that broke out before the Champions Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool on May 29 in 1985. 400 people got injured in the tragedy in Brussels. Hundreds of Millions of shocked Televison viewers could almost not believe what they were seeing. This was one of the worst incidents in the history of sport and the consequence was that English clubs were banned from European tournaments. The riots started 1,5 hours before the game when the Liverpool fans reacted to provocation, broke through a small fence and attacked the Juventus supporters. The Italians fled and many were crushed against a three meter high brick wall that collapsed. Many fans died under the remains of the wall. Some fans were killed by beating, and the englishmen even used rocks and knifes to worsen the situation. Liverpool supporters charged Juventus supporters, causing 39 deaths. The circumstances under which this dreadful event occurred reveal a far more complex set of causes, and an insight into terrace culture at the height of the football hooligan phenomenon.
The events in Rome in 1984
It can be argued that the Heysel Stadium Tragedy really began the year before. Liverpool had reached the European Cup Final for the fourth time in their history. The Final was to be held on the home ground of their opponents, AS Roma. After a tense game, Liverpool won in a penalty shoot-out. What received rather less coverage was the roaming scooter gangs hunting down Liverpool supporters, stabbing and slashing dozens, many of whom were family groups returning to hotels in the area. One 13-year-old boy was almost ripped apart, needing 200 stitches in his face alone. Many hoteliers refused to let their English guests in, either out of spite or for fear of subsequent attacks on their premises. There was little protection from the Italian Police, who routinely attacked and robbed English supporters in revenge for the defeat of the local team. That night, many desperate English fans, deserted by Italian coach drivers booked to drive them to Rome airport, sought sanctuary at the British Embassy. After the events in Rome, club rivalries in England had been put aside: Juventus were to catch the full fury of the English hooligan elite. It should be understood that not just Liverpool hooligans were present. There were contingents from a great many firms all over the country, from Luton MIGS to Millwall Bushwackers, West Ham ICF and Newcastle Toon Army.
Hooligan culture in the 1980's
There have been countless attempts to rationalise football hooliganism. Many cite what is seen as the inherent violence of the English working class. Others argue that somehow fighting is in the gene pool, a nation that has sent almost every generation of its men folk to war throughout antiquity has produced a social stratum naturally predisposed to violent disorder. It could simply be that if 40,000 people are crammed into one place and given even the slenderest reason to confront each other, there will be a small proportion that will do so, and a greater proportion that will allow themselves to be drawn in. Whatever the reasons, by the mid-1980s violence was endemic in and around football grounds throughout England. With little closed-circuit television and largely indifferent policing, hooligan 'firms' had carte blanche to set about each other wherever they met. Indeed, terrace violence had attained a certain glamour.
Although the major London firms of West Ham, Millwall and Chelsea attracted the most media attention, almost any club was capable of attracting hundreds if not thousands of willing combatants. Leeds United were particularly notorious, as were Newcastle United, Cardiff City, Swansea City, and the Sheffield and Manchester clubs. Violence between Cardiff and Swansea was so bad that for a while it seemed likely that the fixture would be deleted from the season's programme altogether, and the result decided by the Pools panel. In Cambridge, city councillors attempted to ban visiting supporters after Millwall wrecked the city centre. Luton Town went one step further and actually did ban opposing supporters, simultaneously introducing an identity card scheme for home fans after Millwall fans rioted through their town. 'Spotters' were employed to report on the movements of opposing supporters. The banning of alcohol from grounds did little to stem the violence. Injecting oranges with vodka was one imaginative solution. Others simply drank outside the ground or took drugs. Most were happy enough to 'mix it' while completely sober.
Despite the prevailing terrace culture, Liverpool supporters had no particular reputation for violence, outside of an intense rivalry with Manchester United (during the 1985 FA Cup semi-final between the teams, supporters had hurled golf balls with eight inch nails driven through them at each other). However, news of what had happened in Rome spread quickly. It became clear that some sort of reprisal was considered to be in order. The perfect opportunity presented itself the following year, when Liverpool again reached the European Cup Final and again faced an Italian team, Juventus of Turin. Even the most placid terrace fan knew that there was going to be unfinished business to attend to at the Heysel Stadium.
Terrible organization
Built in the 1920s, the Heysel Stadium was quite simply the worst venue in the world to host such a volatile encounter. 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. There was little segregation of supporters, a factor exacerbated by the indiscriminate selling of black market tickets by touts. Many fans found that it was possible to enter the ground by simply lifting a section of the flimsy 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 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 hard core hooligans to assemble wherever they wished. As a result, two hours before kick off, perhaps the most malevolent assembly of football supporters ever seen in one place had gathered, and as far as they were concerned, it was payback time. It should be understood that not just Liverpool hooligans were present. There were contingents from a great many firms all over the country.
The wall that crumbled
Violence was immediate. Italian fascists, who were present in force among the Juventus contingent, goaded supporters into making incursions into the main body of Liverpool fans, at the Western end of an enormous shared terrace. What were initially scuffles quickly escalated into a series of serious terrace battles. Then, 20:45 local time, something dreadful happened. The Liverpool fans charged into a solid mass of Juventus support, which was hemmed in on three sides by crumbling concrete walls. Unstoppable force had met immovable object.
The Juventus supporters attempted to fall back. However, with no avenue of retreat, they simply piled on top of each other. Panic set in among the Italians, some of whom were now starting to be crushed at the rear of the terrace as the Liverpool supporters continued to charge against the front. At this moment, with police and stewards too stunned to react, a wall at the Eastern end of the terrace gave way. Dozens of Juventus supporters were now trapped against what remained of the wall, and were trampled underfoot as thousands of people stampeded over them. It was at this point that the majority of the deaths occurred.
Meanwhile, there was mayhem in the ground itself. Italian supporters invaded the pitch in an effort to get at the English. All over the stadium violence erupted. It appeared that one Italian fan was firing a gun into the Liverpool fans: this later turned out to be a starting pistol. In desperation, several Liverpool players spoke across the public address system in an attempt to calm the supporters. Eventually, with the arrival of police reinforcements and elements of the Belgian army, enough order was restored for the match to take place. Neither set of players wanted to play. However, it was felt that even more carnage might ensure if rival supporters were allowed to rampage through Brussels. In one of the most meaningless matches ever played, Juventus won 1-0 with a goal by French star Michel Platini.
The Belgian police
The belgian police were too few and totally helpless. They could only watch the terrible tragedy that was happening. Scared supporters tried to run to the pitch to save themselves, but the fighting continued there. Dead and injured people were all over, and the televison viewers could watch bleeding and screaming fans running around. The dead people were gathered outside the stadium and the injured were brought to the hospitals. Heavy police reinforcemets arrived at the stadium much too late and the players of the two clubs tried to calm down their fans. The tragedy was already a fact, but the situation could have gotten even worse. The game was played to give the police more time to handle the situation after the game. The kickoff was made almost 1,5 hours after the supposed kick off. Juventus didn't want to play, but gave in after pressure.
The belgian police were heavily criticised after the disaster for not beeing prepared. The police had already been warned that violence could occur and that they had to carefully divide the supporters of the two teams. Instead only 5 police officers divided the rival supporters and they couldn't do anything when the Liverpool supporters stormed against the Juventus supporters. Had there been a high fence, a wall or much more police officers the disaster wouldn't have happened. Many fans could have been saved if the Belgian government hadn't put opp fences between the stands and the pitch. If these fences hadn't been there, then many more supporters could have escaped from the rage of the english supporters. It is estimated that about 100 drunk englishmen started the riots. The Belgian police also told that the english supporters had behaved violently and aggresive all day. They had started riots round the historic Grand Place in Brussels, and all restaurants in the area had to close.
In the morning of the final the supporters had fraternized at first, but later that afternoon fighting broke out between the fans. After the tragedy had happened the captains of the two teams, Phil Neal and Gaetano Scirea, spoke over the speaker and told that the game would be played to allow the police to organize and prepare for when the supporters would leave the stadium. The first message that arrived told of injured people, then news came that someone had died, later it was told that 24 fans had died, before this number was adjusted up to 36. After the game it became clear that 39 persons had died, while 400 had got injured. The Juventus fans took down all their banners, while the Liverpool supporters still held up theirs. Long after the tragedy was a fact huge police and army forces arrived to the stadium to prevent further fighting, but it was all too late. When the game started the pitch was totally surrounded by a wall of armed forces. The stadium looked like a war zone.
As more and more armed forces arrived the Juventus fans attacked them. They had heard rumours about casualties and filled with rage they wanted revenge. Television pictures showed a Liverpool fan who was chased and hit with a rock in his head, another Liverpool fan wearing a Liverpool jersey ran from the Juventus fans and was later filmed bleeding from his head. The fighting bteween the Juventus supporters and the armed forces continued even after the kick off, with the Italians throwing everything they could find against the armed forces. Exactly one hour after the game should have started a small group of Juventus supporters showed a huge banner were it was written Reds Animals. On TV you could hear the Juventus supporters in the stadium applauding this banner. Juventus didn't want to play, but the kick off was still made at 21.42, over one hour later than scheduled.
The stadium
The stadium was crumbling and in no fit state to hold the game, Liverpool's Chief Executive Peter Robinson urged UEFA not to allow the game to be played there, but they didn't listen. Muck of the blame lays with UEFA and the Belgian authorities. Supporters who were present at the match described the stadium as a disgrace, certainly not fit for a European final. They said many people without tickets were able to get in through holes in walls and fences. Even some supporters who had a ticket have told that some of them never had to show it to get into the stadium. There was also inadequate policing to prevent any violence. The actions of the minority of Liverpool supporters who charged the Z zone contingent at Heysel was inexcusable, however Juventus fans cannot be excused from blame. Rumours tell that Juventus supporters had taunted, throwed stones, bottles, weapons at the Liverpool supporters during the build-up and so inevitably some so-called Liverpool fans charged and ran towards the Juventus fans, who unfortunately panicked and ran towards the wall which collapsed killing 39 fans. Some Juventus supporters also launched missiles against the Liverpool supporters.
The stadium itself was frightening to behold. Steel crush barriers at the Italian end of the terrace were bent and buckled entirely out of shape, in a grisly testament to the force of the Liverpool charge. It was in many respects fortunate that the wall had collapsed, as it is estimated that had it not done so the death toll could have been many times higher. In an unpleasant twist of fate, Liverpool supporters themselves experienced exactly what happens when force is unable to dissipate four years later, when 96 of their own number were crushed to death as a result of overcrowding at the 1989 FA Cup Semi Final at Hillsborough, England.
The reactions
Everyone agreed that the english supporters were responsible for the tragedy. The British embassy in Italy and British offices all over Italy were attacked in the days after the tragedy. The next morning, flowers were left on the doorsteps of Italian restaurants all over Liverpool. Fans arriving home seemed unable to grasp what they had witnessed. In Brussels, dozens of supporters were quizzed by police, although relatively few custodial sentences were passed. The supporters were described as 'fighting mad' by the Belgian police. One had to be injected with six times the amount of tranquilliser required to knock out a horse in order to calm down enough to be interviewed.
Official reaction was swift: English teams were banned from European competition for five years. This damaged the English game as top players, deprived of competing at European level, chose to play on the Continent instead. Also, several smaller clubs, whose domestic performances would otherwise have qualified them for the various European tournaments, missed their chance. Margaret Thatcher and the Queen issued formal apologies to the people of Belgium and Italy. Bobby Charlton told that this night he was ashamed of beeing British and that the British supporters were to blame. A series of sweeping police anti-hooligan offensives saw several known 'Generals' jailed, although many hooligans simply decided that they had seen enough, and abandoned terrace violence altogether.
The official declaration of Margareth Thatcher was: "There are no words, there are are no possible justifications; the blame is entirely for England!" Thatcher called to come inmediately to Downing Street from Mexico City, where they were, FA President Frederick A. Millichip and General Secretary Edgar A. Croker for a delicate confrontation with her Government. And two days before the UEFA's decision to ban England (June 2), the English Government expressed (May 31) its own exemplary decision about a kind of auto-exclusion at all Eurocups of all English clubs. Civil, Military and sporting Belgian Authorities envolved in the responsibility of the Final Match organisation and were found guilty. The history then ended with a series of difficult trials against only a little number of those hundreds of hooligans, some people identified by witnesses and by multimedial evidences.
There were many reasons why the circumstances surrounding the events of the 1985 European Cup Final arose. Had it not done so at the Heysel Stadium, something similar was bound to have happened somewhere, such was the level of antagonism surrounding English football at the time. Until the Heysel Stadium, the terraces of English football grounds were little more than filthy concrete expanses where tens of thousands of people were literally locked in and left to their own devices for a couple of hours every Saturday afternoon. After Heysel, the authorities were no longer able to dismiss terrace violence as little more than working class lads letting off steam. In the years that followed many of the huge fan banners on display wherever Liverpool played incorporated a Juventus flag as a mark of respect to the victims of the most shocking night European football has ever seen.
The main reasons for the tragedy:
- ROME 1984: Some british supporters wanted revenge against the italians after they received a heavy beating in Rome by the Roma supporters in 1984.
- OVERCROWDING: There were sold more tickets than the actual capacity and many managed to come in with false tickets or even without tickets. The Belgian authorities knew very well that there were thousands of false tickets circulating, but did nothing to prevent them for entering the stadium. The stadium that had a 50 000 capacity was totally overcrowded and had too much people in it.
- THE POLICE: Even if the police had been warned that there would be fighting there was almost nobody present to do something when the fighting broke out. Only 5 police officers divided the Liverpool and Juventus supporters were the fighting broke out.
- THE STADIUM: A large fence or a wall could have been enough to prevent the supporters from coming into contact. The Heysel stadium was a disgrace anw was crumbling.
- THE JUVENTUS SUPPORTERS: Some Juventus supporters had launched objects against the Liverpool supporters who then reacted and stormed against the Juventus fans.
- THE LIVERPOOL SUPPORTERS: Many drunk englishmen who behaved badly and continued to chase and press the Juventus supporters against the wall that crumbled.
- ALCOHOL: Some fans were so drunk that they didn't realize the tragedy that had happened and continued to fight instead of helping those who needed help.
- UEFA: They had done a horrible job selecting a crumbling stadium to host the final. The organization of the match was terrible.
- THE BELGIAN AUTHORITIES: They were totally unprepared and had too few police officers present at the game. The reinforcements came much too late. They didn't listen to warnings.
LEARN FROM HEYSEL: VIOLENCE IS STUPID.
In memory of the victims today and of their families who will still be suffering particularly on this day.
RIP
Rocco Acerra; Bruno Balli; Giancarlo Bruschera; Andrea Casula; Giovanni Casula; Nino Cerullo; Giuseppina Conti; Dionisio Fabbro; Eugenio Gagliano; Francesco Galli; Giancarlo Gonnelli; Alberto Guarini; Giovacchino Landini; Roberto Lorentini; Barbara Lusci; Franco Martelli; Loris Massore; Gianni Mastroiaco; Sergio Mazzino; Luciano Papaluca; Luigi Pidone; Benito Pistolato; Domenico Ragazzi; Antonio Ragnanese; Mario Ronchi; Domenico Russo; Tarcisio Salvi; Gianfranco Sarto; Amedeo Spolaore; Mario Spanu; Tarcisio Venturin; Claudio Zavaroni; Alfons Bos; Willy Chielens; Dirk Daeninckx; Jeacques Francois; Patrick Radcliffe; Claude Robert; Jean Michel Walla.
RIP
Rocco Acerra; Bruno Balli; Giancarlo Bruschera; Andrea Casula; Giovanni Casula; Nino Cerullo; Giuseppina Conti; Dionisio Fabbro; Eugenio Gagliano; Francesco Galli; Giancarlo Gonnelli; Alberto Guarini; Giovacchino Landini; Roberto Lorentini; Barbara Lusci; Franco Martelli; Loris Massore; Gianni Mastroiaco; Sergio Mazzino; Luciano Papaluca; Luigi Pidone; Benito Pistolato; Domenico Ragazzi; Antonio Ragnanese; Mario Ronchi; Domenico Russo; Tarcisio Salvi; Gianfranco Sarto; Amedeo Spolaore; Mario Spanu; Tarcisio Venturin; Claudio Zavaroni; Alfons Bos; Willy Chielens; Dirk Daeninckx; Jeacques Francois; Patrick Radcliffe; Claude Robert; Jean Michel Walla.
just last nite i saw the package DVDs abt history of football, and it had a part abt the heysel disaster.
there was a liverpool player who said that the stadium couldnt hold that much expected fans, they should've held the ppl who made the decision to put the game in that stadium and hang them....
a juventini supporter who survived the tragedy said that the problem is that most of the juve supporters were just families and regular fans and there were no "ultras" there.According to him if there were more "ultras" then it wouldnt have happend.
anyway RIP fellow juventini.
there was a liverpool player who said that the stadium couldnt hold that much expected fans, they should've held the ppl who made the decision to put the game in that stadium and hang them....
a juventini supporter who survived the tragedy said that the problem is that most of the juve supporters were just families and regular fans and there were no "ultras" there.According to him if there were more "ultras" then it wouldnt have happend.
anyway RIP fellow juventini.
I'm downloading the BBC documentary all over again, after my PC had been formatted. He backed up alot of my files...while neglecting many others 
Anyhow this is the documentary I'm downloading of Emule. I highly recommend it, for those who want a good in depth report on the Heysel incidents. "Requiem for a cup final" ...already mentioned earlier in this thread.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4415943.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4415623.stm
RIP.......
Anyhow this is the documentary I'm downloading of Emule. I highly recommend it, for those who want a good in depth report on the Heysel incidents. "Requiem for a cup final" ...already mentioned earlier in this thread.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4415943.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4415623.stm
RIP.......
Andy and I, after the Barca game, met one Irish cat and two Scotish blokes. The Scots were Celtic fans, but the Irish guy was a big 'Pool fan.
In any case, Andy was wearing his Delpie shirt, and the guy actually came up and said, "Hey, Juve, you know the history between these clubs, right?"
Andy of course did and said so. The guy then extended his hand and shook Andy's, saying, "Yea, I'm sorry about that. It was disgusting."
I am sure that the guy was not at Heysel, but big respect to the man. He didn't say any bad word about it and was very apologetic.
Forza more 'Pool fans like that.
In any case, Andy was wearing his Delpie shirt, and the guy actually came up and said, "Hey, Juve, you know the history between these clubs, right?"
Andy of course did and said so. The guy then extended his hand and shook Andy's, saying, "Yea, I'm sorry about that. It was disgusting."
I am sure that the guy was not at Heysel, but big respect to the man. He didn't say any bad word about it and was very apologetic.
Forza more 'Pool fans like that.
ßömßärdîër said:
Andy and I, after the Barca game, met one Irish cat and two Scotish blokes. The Scots were Celtic fans, but the Irish guy was a big 'Pool fan.
In any case, Andy was wearing his Delpie shirt, and the guy actually came up and said, "Hey, Juve, you know the history between these clubs, right?"
Andy of course did and said so. The guy then extended his hand and shook Andy's, saying, "Yea, I'm sorry about that. It was disgusting."
I am sure that the guy was not at Heysel, but big respect to the man. He didn't say any bad word about it and was very apologetic.
Forza more 'Pool fans like that.
In any case, Andy was wearing his Delpie shirt, and the guy actually came up and said, "Hey, Juve, you know the history between these clubs, right?"
Andy of course did and said so. The guy then extended his hand and shook Andy's, saying, "Yea, I'm sorry about that. It was disgusting."
I am sure that the guy was not at Heysel, but big respect to the man. He didn't say any bad word about it and was very apologetic.
Forza more 'Pool fans like that.
ßömßärdîër said:
Andy and I, after the Barca game, met one Irish cat and two Scotish blokes. The Scots were Celtic fans, but the Irish guy was a big 'Pool fan.
In any case, Andy was wearing his Delpie shirt, and the guy actually came up and said, "Hey, Juve, you know the history between these clubs, right?"
Andy of course did and said so. The guy then extended his hand and shook Andy's, saying, "Yea, I'm sorry about that. It was disgusting."
I am sure that the guy was not at Heysel, but big respect to the man. He didn't say any bad word about it and was very apologetic.
Forza more 'Pool fans like that.
In any case, Andy was wearing his Delpie shirt, and the guy actually came up and said, "Hey, Juve, you know the history between these clubs, right?"
Andy of course did and said so. The guy then extended his hand and shook Andy's, saying, "Yea, I'm sorry about that. It was disgusting."
I am sure that the guy was not at Heysel, but big respect to the man. He didn't say any bad word about it and was very apologetic.
Forza more 'Pool fans like that.
A New Movie About Heysel Disaster
A FILM about the Heysel stadium disaster and a big-screen version of James Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner are to be made by one of Scotland's leading contemporary artists.
Douglas Gordon, the Turner Prize-winning Glaswegian artist who earlier this year released a documentary film about Zinedine Zidane, is to cement his move from the world of modern art to cinema with two more movies, he revealed yesterday.
Speaking at the launch of the first major retrospective of his work, Superhumanatural at the National Galleries of Scotland, Gordon said he was about to start work on a film about the 1985 disaster at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
In that tragedy 39 fans died during the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus. Based on a new French book called The Crowd, it will be his second collaboration after the Zidane film with French artist Philippe Parreno.
After that he hopes to adapt Hogg's classic novel for the screen.
"We are beginning to work on the new project, and it won't be a total departure from football. But of course it's a very different subject, looking at people in the crowd at Heysel – different people from Liverpool, Turin, and Brussels – that night," he said.
"We have some ideas how to tackle James Hogg as well. I know some people in the past have had a look at adapting it, including (Scottish director) Bill Douglas, but it is something I want to do, it is one of my favourite books. The Zidane project was an ideal way to try out new ideas, to play around with expectations, and I think it's just as interesting to make a feature film as an art installation."
Hogg's novel, published in 1824, about a man's encounter with the devil, is considered one of the key Scottish texts, and its themes of good and evil, light and darkness, are mirrored in Gordon's own work.
It is also the inspiration for a new story written by Ian Rankin, called Sinner: Justified, which is printed in the catalogue to the show.
Gordon's movie about Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait, has been acclaimed, and a version has been bought by the NGS, although it is not featured in the new show.
Superhumanatural is on a massive scale. Not only is it being staged at the Royal Scottish Academy building, it is also at the Royal Botanic Gardens, and features the work for which he is best known: a comprehensive survey of his disturbing short films and videos, and his works using other people's films, sculpture and photographs.
It features 24-Hour Psycho, his slowed-down version of the Hitchcock classic and Through a Looking Glass, which uses a scene from Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro.
Plato's Cave, one of three new works to feature in the exhibition, is shown in a former washhouse, adjacent to Inverleith House at the botanic gardens.
Born in Glasgow in 1966, Gordon still has a home in the city but is now based in New York.
He said the retrospective was a daunting experience. "It is really my first big Scottish show, and it being a retrospective, does that mean I do not get another one? It has been planned for a few years now and I understand how important it is. But curators such as Keith Hartley at the Gallery of Modern Art have been very supportive, the door has always been open. My friends and family will visit and it will be interesting to see how they respond. My father will probably say 'I don't know what is going on in this gallery', and sometimes I don't know either."
The Herald
A FILM about the Heysel stadium disaster and a big-screen version of James Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner are to be made by one of Scotland's leading contemporary artists.
Douglas Gordon, the Turner Prize-winning Glaswegian artist who earlier this year released a documentary film about Zinedine Zidane, is to cement his move from the world of modern art to cinema with two more movies, he revealed yesterday.
Speaking at the launch of the first major retrospective of his work, Superhumanatural at the National Galleries of Scotland, Gordon said he was about to start work on a film about the 1985 disaster at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
In that tragedy 39 fans died during the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus. Based on a new French book called The Crowd, it will be his second collaboration after the Zidane film with French artist Philippe Parreno.
After that he hopes to adapt Hogg's classic novel for the screen.
"We are beginning to work on the new project, and it won't be a total departure from football. But of course it's a very different subject, looking at people in the crowd at Heysel – different people from Liverpool, Turin, and Brussels – that night," he said.
"We have some ideas how to tackle James Hogg as well. I know some people in the past have had a look at adapting it, including (Scottish director) Bill Douglas, but it is something I want to do, it is one of my favourite books. The Zidane project was an ideal way to try out new ideas, to play around with expectations, and I think it's just as interesting to make a feature film as an art installation."
Hogg's novel, published in 1824, about a man's encounter with the devil, is considered one of the key Scottish texts, and its themes of good and evil, light and darkness, are mirrored in Gordon's own work.
It is also the inspiration for a new story written by Ian Rankin, called Sinner: Justified, which is printed in the catalogue to the show.
Gordon's movie about Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait, has been acclaimed, and a version has been bought by the NGS, although it is not featured in the new show.
Superhumanatural is on a massive scale. Not only is it being staged at the Royal Scottish Academy building, it is also at the Royal Botanic Gardens, and features the work for which he is best known: a comprehensive survey of his disturbing short films and videos, and his works using other people's films, sculpture and photographs.
It features 24-Hour Psycho, his slowed-down version of the Hitchcock classic and Through a Looking Glass, which uses a scene from Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro.
Plato's Cave, one of three new works to feature in the exhibition, is shown in a former washhouse, adjacent to Inverleith House at the botanic gardens.
Born in Glasgow in 1966, Gordon still has a home in the city but is now based in New York.
He said the retrospective was a daunting experience. "It is really my first big Scottish show, and it being a retrospective, does that mean I do not get another one? It has been planned for a few years now and I understand how important it is. But curators such as Keith Hartley at the Gallery of Modern Art have been very supportive, the door has always been open. My friends and family will visit and it will be interesting to see how they respond. My father will probably say 'I don't know what is going on in this gallery', and sometimes I don't know either."
The Herald