Heysel Stadium disaster

Heysel Stadium disaster
Date29 May 1985; 39 years ago (1985-05-29)
VenueHeysel Stadium
LocationBrussels, Belgium
Coordinates50°53′45″N 4°20′3″E / 50.89583°N 4.33417°E / 50.89583; 4.33417
CauseEnglish hooliganism; dilapidated stadium; negligent administration; poor policing [1][2]
Filmed byEuropean Broadcasting Union
ParticipantsSupporters of Liverpool and Juventus
OutcomeEnglish clubs banned from European competition for five years; Liverpool for six years
Deaths39
Non-fatal injuries600
Arrests34
ConvictedPolice captain Johan Mahieu,[3] and 14 Liverpool fans convicted of manslaughter

The Heysel Stadium disaster (Italian: Strage dell'Heysel [ˈstraːdʒe delleiˈzɛl]; German: Katastrophe von Heysel [ˌkataˈstʁoːfə fɔn ˈhaɪzl̩]; French: Drame du Heysel [dʁam dy ɛzɛl]; Dutch: Heizeldrama [ˈɦɛizəlˌdraːmaː]) was a crowd disaster that occurred on 29 May 1985 when Juventus fans were escaping from an attack by Liverpool fans while they were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, before the start of the 1985 European Cup final. The stadium was in need of maintenance and had not been adequately updated[1] It had failed inspections prior to the disaster,[2] and the wall collapsed under the force. Thirty-nine people‍—‍mostly Italians and Juventus fans‍—‍were killed and 600 were injured in the confrontation.[4]

Approximately an hour before the Juventus–Liverpool final was due to kick off, incidents of aggression between the two sets of supporters were taking place across the flimsy divide between the Liverpool section and what was intended to have been the "neutral" section, populated by those who had purchased tickets in Belgium. The throwing of objects back and forth led to larger scale physical aggression‍—‍the chicken wire fence was ripped down, and after initial fighting, the fans in the neutral section began to run away from the Liverpool fans who had become involved and in the direction of the wall. They charged at Juventus supporters and breached a fence that was separating them from a "neutral area".[5][6][7] Fans already standing near the wall were crushed; eventually the wall collapsed, providing an escape route for some while contributing to the fatalities.[8] Many people climbed over to safety, but many others died or were badly injured. The game was played despite the pre-match incidents by authorities and organizers' joint decision for public policy doctrine reasons[9] after a state of siege was declared in the city,[10] with Juventus winning 1–0.[11]

The tragedy resulted in all English football clubs being placed under an indefinite ban by Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) from all European competitions (lifted in 1990–91), with Liverpool being excluded for an additional three years, later reduced to one,[12][13][14] and 14 Liverpool fans were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six years' imprisonment. The disaster was later described as "the darkest hour in the history of the UEFA competitions".[15]

  1. ^ a b Davies, Mark (28 May 2015). "Heysel: a tragedy waiting to happen". euronews. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Heysel Stadium disaster". Britannica. 19 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ "'Een aaneenschakeling van kleine foutjes heeft tot het Heizeldrama geleid'". standaard.be.
  4. ^ "Heysel: Liverpool and Juventus remember disaster that claimed 39 lives". Daily Mirror. 29 May 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Heysel Stadium disaster | Description & Facts | Britannica". March 2024.
  6. ^ "A glorious yet tragic night: Revisiting Liverpool's 1984 win over Roma". Independent.co.uk. 23 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Heysel stadium disaster: 'I saw the rows of bodies piled high'". Archived 15 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian
  8. ^ Kelso, Paul (April 2005). "Liverpool still torn over tragedy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 August 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  9. ^ "L'UEFA: perché si è deciso di giocare" (in Italian). La Stampa. 30 May 1985. p. 2.
  10. ^ Mario Sconcerti (30 May 1985). "Fuga da Bruxelles" (in Italian). la Repubblica. it: La città è in stato d'assedio. Per le strade non un'anima viva. [The city is in a state of siege. There is not a living soul on the streets.]
  11. ^ "Liverpool – History – Heysel disaster". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Heysel, 27 Years On – Book Extract". The Tomkins Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  13. ^ "British Soccer Will Return to Continent's Fields in 1990". Los Angeles Times. 11 April 1989. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  14. ^ Ap (11 July 1990). "English Soccer Clubs Readmitted to Europe". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  15. ^ Quote from UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson in 2004, uefa.com Archived 27 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine