25 Years Ago.....in a few days - Heysel Stadium

[ant london]

Remember watching this after school with my dad as clear as day

It was a disgrace at the time and seems even more so now

[youtube]Y4I39yBW3FU&[/youtube]

Tragic that 39 people lost their lives

Sad that we missed out on what should have been a terrific game of football between a Juventus team featuring Marco Tardelli, Paolo Rossi, Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek against the great, great Liverpool side of Hansen, Lawrenson, Whelen, Nicol, Grobbelaar and Rush and robbed Joe Fagin of a happy farewell to his post as club manager.

Tainted Juve's first ever European Cup win

Swift and very tough justice was served however when on 2 June 1985

Uefa bans English clubs from Europe

European football's governing body Uefa has banned English clubs from playing in Europe indefinitely, following the riot at Brussels' Heysel stadium four days ago in which 39 people died.

The ban follows an announcement by the British Football Association on 31 May preventing its own English teams from playing in Europe.

Today's announcement came after an emergency session of soccer chiefs in Switzerland, and cannot be appealed. It is expected to cast English clubs into the European wilderness for several years.

Liverpool fans have been blamed for the Heysel tragedy, when supporters charged at a wall separating them from Juventus fans, causing it to collapse onto the mainly Italian crowd.

English football welcomes move

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempt from the ban, and disciplinary action against Liverpool FC is also being considered.

Reacting to the decision, football league president Jack Dunnett said: "It is unfair to punish clubs which had nothing to do with the Brussels tragedy".

But the move was welcomed by other leading figures in English football.

FA Secretary Ted Croker said: "There are many of us who don't want to see us back in Europe until we have got our own house in order."

A British representative on Uefa's 11-strong executive committee said he had unsuccessfully tried to push for the ban to be limited to a set period. But David Will, president of the Scottish FA, said: "The feeling in Uefa is very, very strong".

The British government is set to announce new measures to tighten crowd control in British clubs in the aftermath of the Heysel tragedy.

These are expected to include confirmation of a drinks ban in all British clubs, the introduction of club membership cards to give known supporters access to matches, and wider use of CCTV cameras.

In Liverpool police are launching an inquiry into the Brussels riot. A public hotline has been set up in an attempt to establish what happened and identify those responsible.



Dark days for those who can remember them and particularly cruel for Everton under Howard Kendall who saw their most successful modern era go mainly stripped of the potential to compete in Europe after they won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1985 as well as the following (mainly domestic) honours

FA Cup (1984), Charity Shield (1984), European Cup Winners Cup (1985), League Championship (1985), Charity Shield (1985), Charity Shield Shared (1986) League Championship (1987).

Runner-Up : Milk Cup (1984), FA Cup (1985), Division One League(1986), FA Cup (1986)


Also, had Liverpool won this match (which they may well have done before all the crowd violence which was clearly Liverpool fan dominated) they would have claimed the fifth European Cup that, ultimately had to wait 20 more years and until a trip to Istanbul.

[Beeks]

It's actually the 29th of May Ant

[ant london]

It's actually the 29th of May Ant

You're dead right.....what a spastic I am

[Beeks]

It's actually the 29th of May Ant

You're dead right.....what a spastic I am

I only Know because my Mrs is a scouser...I was 11/12 though when it happened...Don't seem to remember it as much as Hillsbrough...I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news from Sheffield

[Ted Hughes]

They're planting a tree in Liverpool today to start off several days of events related to the tragedy, no doubt finishing up with a speech from Sue Cook, comemmorating 25 years of excuses with such classics as, 'it wasn't our fault' & 'they provoked us', they were hitting kids & 'they were just as bad' & for the finale; 'nobody likes Liverpool anyway'.

[BlueinBosnia]

They're planting a tree in Liverpool today to start off several days of events related to the tragedy, no doubt finishing up with a speech from Sue Cook, comemmorating 25 years of excuses with such classics as, 'it wasn't our fault' & 'they provoked us', they were hitting kids & 'they were just as bad' & for the finale; 'nobody likes Liverpool anyway'.

In fairness, UEFA's organisation of the tournament was equally, if not moreso, appaling, and led to the events of that night.

[Ted Hughes]

They're planting a tree in Liverpool today to start off several days of events related to the tragedy, no doubt finishing up with a speech from Sue Cook, comemmorating 25 years of excuses with such classics as, 'it wasn't our fault' & 'they provoked us', they were hitting kids & 'they were just as bad' & for the finale; 'nobody likes Liverpool anyway'.

In fairness, UEFA's organisation of the tournament was equally, if not moreso, appaling, and led to the events of that night.

True, it usually is though & leads to possible problems without that kind of behaviour or without people mugging their own fans for tickets, like scousers were at the last European final they played in.

[blootoof]

They're planting a tree in Liverpool today to start off several days of events related to the tragedy, no doubt finishing up with a speech from Sue Cook, comemmorating 25 years of excuses with such classics as, 'it wasn't our fault' & 'they provoked us', they were hitting kids & 'they were just as bad' & for the finale; 'nobody likes Liverpool anyway'.

You missed "It was Chelsea"

[Dameerto]

If it hadn't been Liverpool it could have been any one of a number of English clubs - it was my misfortune to grow up during that whole culture of 'away-day' violence and thuggery. The ban is one of the best things that could have happened to our game and led to the eventual change in attitude forced on clubs by holding them accountable for their fan's behaviour. It's just sad that it took the lives of a number of people before things changed.

[walmai]

They're planting a tree in Liverpool today to start off several days of events related to the tragedy, no doubt finishing up with a speech from Sue Cook, comemmorating 25 years of excuses with such classics as, 'it wasn't our fault' & 'they provoked us', they were hitting kids & 'they were just as bad' & for the finale; 'nobody likes Liverpool anyway'.

And the classic: 'it was actually the ICF and Chelsea Headhunters that infiltrated us and caused the riot'.

It wasn't only Everton to miss out too. West Ham qualified for UEFA (back in the day when only one team got into the European Cup) the following year. Never got the chance to take the best squad we've had in the last 30 years on a Euro tour. I can't vouch for what our fans might have at that time got up to, but you get the message.

I've frankly hated LFC with a passion since 1985. I was very sympathetic about Hillsboro, which was a football-wide tragedy in my eyes, but Heysel was plain thuggery.

To think that match went ahead. I am sure that some time after the riot, an Italian fan was pictured holding a gun in the stands.

[walmai]

They're planting a tree in Liverpool today to start off several days of events related to the tragedy, no doubt finishing up with a speech from Sue Cook, comemmorating 25 years of excuses with such classics as, 'it wasn't our fault' & 'they provoked us', they were hitting kids & 'they were just as bad' & for the finale; 'nobody likes Liverpool anyway'.

In fairness, UEFA's organisation of the tournament was equally, if not moreso, appaling, and led to the events of that night.

West Ham competed in the CWC final in 1976 in that very ground. What kind of a riot took place then?

Are you suggesting it was policed/ticketed/generally managed better in 76, than in 85? If so, out of interest, why?

[Fish111]

Scouse scum as usual that caused all that but they blamed everyone else. The NF, Chelsea Headhunters, The ICF etc. Just as they blamed South Yorkshire police at Hillsbrough. Scousers have done it for years and continued to do it years after, storming Wembley and climbing the outside of the twin towers to get in for free for a cup final. They were even doing it as recently as 2005 when they stormed the outer perimeter to get into the CL final without tickets. Knocking over the elerley & young kids. Scum, always have been, always will be. But they get away with it because 'they are an institution in football'. Fuck-em, i hope Gillett takes them under.

[Guy Debord]

Scouse scum as usual that caused all that but they blamed everyone else. The NF, Chelsea Headhunters, The ICF etc. Just as they blamed South Yorkshire police at Hillsbrough. Scousers have done it for years and continued to do it years after, storming Wembley and climbing the outside of the twin towers to get in for free for a cup final. They were even doing it as recently as 2005 when they stormed the outer perimeter to get into the CL final without tickets. Knocking over the elerley & young kids. Scum, always have been, always will be. But they get away with it because 'they are an institution in football'. Fuck-em, i hope Gillett takes them under.

A clueless post in almost every way.

The inquiry into the Hillsbrough disaster, the Taylor Report, named the cause as failure of police control, and resulted in the conversion of many football stadiums in the United Kingdom to all-seater and the removal of barriers at the front of stands.

[Twobob]

Scouse scum as usual that caused all that but they blamed everyone else. The NF, Chelsea Headhunters, The ICF etc. Just as they blamed South Yorkshire police at Hillsbrough. Scousers have done it for years and continued to do it years after, storming Wembley and climbing the outside of the twin towers to get in for free for a cup final. They were even doing it as recently as 2005 when they stormed the outer perimeter to get into the CL final without tickets. Knocking over the elerley & young kids. Scum, always have been, always will be. But they get away with it because 'they are an institution in football'. Fuck-em, i hope Gillett takes them under.

A clueless post in almost every way.

The inquiry into the Hillsbrough disaster, the Taylor Report, named the cause as failure of police control, and resulted in the conversion of many football stadiums in the U***d Kingdom to all-seater and the removal of barriers at the front of stands.

It's difficult to debate things like this without emotion getting in the way - I do believe that although the police were at fault and caused much more death and pain by thier actions (and in some cases lack of action), so were a section of the Liverpool crowd by thier own actions.

At the end of the day peopel died and no matter what the cause or fault valuable lessons were learnt (by most) but sometimes it seems that those who were affected the most, forget the quickest.

[Fish111]

The inquiry into the Hillsbrough disaster, the Taylor Report, named the cause as failure of police control, and resulted in the conversion of many football stadiums in the U***d Kingdom to all-seater and the removal of barriers at the front of stands.

The Inquiry which was held in Sheffield, began on 15th May 1989 and lasted thirty-one days. Taylor's findings as laid out in the Interim Report can be summarised as follows:

1. The immediate cause of the Disaster was the failure to cut off access to the central pens once gate C had been opened. This caused the overcrowding which led to the Disaster.

2. The central pens (3 and 4) were already overfull because there was no numerical control of entry nor any effective visual monitoring of crowd density.

3. Under the strain of overcrowding in Pen 3, a barrier collapsed, exacerbated by what Taylor referred to as the "sluggish reaction and response when the crush occurred". Lack of leadership and the small size and number of gates in the perimeter fencing hindered rescue attempts. This situation, according to Taylor, was made worse by a drunken minority and the club's confused and inadequate signs and ticketing.


Think what you like. If the scouse dickheads hadn't surged the turnstiles as they always did back in them days fully aware that the dibble opened the gates at most grounds to avoid a crush then this wouldn't have happened, it's as simple as that. Liverpool fans are directly responsible for 125 deaths at Hillsbrough & Heysel and there's no getting away from that fact.

[Renato_CTID]

Heysel 30 years ago? A lot of Italian people - and I am one of them! - hate Belgian authorities from that terrible day and so it will go on til someone there would apologize to our victims!

[colonel_muck]

oh the irony liverpool fc. going on for 21 years about justice for hillsborough while they conveniently brushed this under the carpet. shame on liverpool fc. they have never officially apologised for this. even when they played juventus in champs league 2005 the mural from the kop read 'amicazi' ('friendship') when really it should have read 'sorry'. many italians turned their backs on the gesture because it took 20 years for them to say.

[colonel_muck]

Scouse scum as usual that caused all that but they blamed everyone else. The NF, Chelsea Headhunters, The ICF etc. Just as they blamed South Yorkshire police at Hillsbrough. Scousers have done it for years and continued to do it years after, storming Wembley and climbing the outside of the twin towers to get in for free for a cup final. They were even doing it as recently as 2005 when they stormed the outer perimeter to get into the CL final without tickets. Knocking over the elerley & young kids. Scum, always have been, always will be. But they get away with it because 'they are an institution in football'. Fuck-em, i hope Gillett takes them under.

even more recently than that. my scouse mate went to athens in 2007, his mate got ticket robbed off another scouser, saw a kid getting his ticket robbed. they were storming gates around the whole perimeter of the ground and at the gate he was at there was a huge crush which my mate said was terrifying and when someone shouted that there could be another hillsborough he was told to 'fuck off'. the ac milan fans were horrified and when they were asked to move back they all did, but this just led to liverpool fans pushing through to the front. he said he was very ashamed of his club. most of them really are great fans few can deny that really but there is a switch in people from liverpool which i believe stems from genuine excitement for their team, but this often leads to chaos. drama at every final they have ever been in, and always someone else's fault when someone gets hurt.

[ross.mcfc]

I'd never seen that live footage before - Watched all 15 clips. What a top brodcaster Barry Davis was.

Cant believe after watching all that, the BBC have came out with this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/mers ... 176462.stm

Everyone to blame bar the Liverpool fans.

The behaviour of Liverpool fans at the gates of the 07 CL final was described by a UEFA offical as the worst set of fans he had ever had to deal with. A report largely ignored in the UK media.

[SORTED]

That Phil Neal is a proper money grabbing twat!

PAY ME TO TALK ABOUT HEYSEL