38 years ago today, 39 fans tragically passed away at the Heysel Stadium on the night of the Champions League final between Juventus and Liverpool.
On May 29, 1985, 39 supporters – mostly Juventus fans – were killed when a wall at the Heysel Stadium collapsed. The Bianconeri fans were trying to escape a group of Liverpool fans who had breached a fence which separated the two groups from a neutral area in the stadium.
The incident took place before kick off and despite the circumstances, the final was still played out. Juventus won the match 1-0, but it was almost impossible for the club to enjoy considering the events of the evening.
Following the incident, UEFA banned English clubs from European competition for five years, which was described as the ‘darkest hour’ in the competition’s history. When the two teams met in the Champions League in 2005, Liverpool fans held up a banner reading ‘Friendship’.
Juventus released a statement paying tribute to the 39 fans:
“Two teams set to play a European Cup Final, a match that had captured the attention of all of Europe.
“A stadium in Belgium, a night that was supposed to be a party. There were thousands of people that night at Heysel, thousands of eyes that couldn’t wait for the emotion of a great match.
“There were 39 of them that never saw that match.
“Since that day in 1985, the word “Heysel” has been synonymous with dismay, irrationality, heinous events spiralling out of control. May 29 is a date when that wound hurts again, and we know that pain will never stop.
“We gather together in remembrance with the families and all the loved ones of those 39 innocent people. They were there, and they will never stop being with us.”
Liverpool also released a statement paying tribute to the victims:
“Liverpool FC remembers the 39 football fans who lost their lives at Heysel Stadium in Belgium on this day 38 years ago.
“The disaster occurred before the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus on May 29, 1985, when events in Block Z of the stadium tragically led to the deaths of 39 people and left hundreds more injured.
“As a mark of respect to those who died, floral tributes will be placed beside the Heysel memorial plaque on the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand at Anfield today. Flags across all club sites will be flown at half-mast throughout the day.
“In January, the mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, visited Anfield as part of the official handover of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, and joined LFC ambassador Ian Rush and director of communications Susan Black to lay a floral wreath and pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the Heysel Stadium disaster.
“Black said: ‘This is a poignant and important day in our club’s history and one on which we come together to pay our respects to the 39 people who lost their lives at Heysel and remember all those affected by this tragedy’.”
The perpetrators are all able to walk free. Seeing tweets from liverpool sickens me. They usually always try and hide this under the carpet like It never happened.