The Heysel Tragedy
When The Beautiful Game Lost its Innocence
On May 29, 1985, at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus was scheduled to take place. The two most in-form clubs at the time, the match was baptized as the “Game of the Century.” Liverpool were the reigning champions of the competition, and Juventus had already won all the other European trophies (UEFA Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, and European Supercup) except for the European Cup. The two clubs had already faced each other that season, when Juventus defeated the Reds during the UEFA Super Cup on January 16. At the height of hooliganism in football stadiums, episodes of violence involving English fan bases occurred weekly, both inside and outside England.
At Heysel, the Juventus fans were placed in the southern stands, in three sectors called M, N, and O. Liverpool hooligans, instead, were placed in the northern stands, in sectors X and Y. The tickets for Zone Z, which should have been reserved for neutral Belgian locals, were instead resold to Italian fans unaffiliated with any organized Juventus supporter groups. The mayor of Brussels, Hervé Brouhon, split the security tasks between the Brussels Police and the Gendarmerie—two forces that had never worked together before. Sector Y, full of drunk and dangerous hooligans, bordered Sector Z, filled with middle-class and peaceful Italian supporters unfamiliar with any form of violence.
Adding to this, Sectors Y and Z were divided only by chicken wire, and there were very few police officers present to guard the stands. In this context, what could go wrong?
Liverpool in the 80s – A City in Decay, with Hooliganism and Thatcherism in the Background 🏴
In the Victorian age, Liverpool was a hub of maritime trade and played a pivotal role in the First Industrial Revolution. Until the end of the British Empire, the city remained a significant logistical outpost. But after WWII, the empire’s dissolution began to resonate in Liverpool: many factories shut down, and thousands lost their jobs. Liverpool became a social and economic desert. The crisis hit both material and human infrastructures, and the city turned into a symbol of irreversible industrial decline. On a national scale, Liverpool reached a 30% unemployment rate. Football was seen as a distraction from daily struggles, a way to feel seen and valued.
Years of neglect and humiliation under Thatcher marked this period, and many hopeless young people dumped their frustrations into stadiums, consuming alcohol and drugs—not only in Liverpool but throughout England.
In the 1980s, not a week went by in English football without serious incidents. Additionally, stadiums lacked basic safety standards: the fire at Bradford Stadium on May 11, 1985, which killed 56 people in minutes, showed the absence of minimal safety measures.
Sector Z – The Apple of Discord 🏟️
In the days leading up to the match, most English supporters arrived by ship in Ostend and then traveled to Brussels by train. Many gathered in the Grand Place, drinking and breaking glassware. Some petty clashes between Liverpool and Juventus fans took place, but nothing major. Around 7:20 p.m., almost an hour before kickoff, the Liverpool hooligans—remembering the violent clashes with AS Roma fans in the previous year’s final—charged from Sector Y toward the opposing stand. Rather than fight back, the peaceful Italian supporters, many accompanied by their families, began to flee toward the athletics track, hoping to escape the English savagery.
Those who tried to enter the pitch were beaten with truncheons by police, while others tried to escape through exits blocked by hooligans who had broken into Sector Z. A panicked human stampede formed. Thirty-nine people died, and 600 were injured in a massacre sparked by English hooligans. The Belgian security service, inadequate and disorganized, failed to evacuate the stadium peacefully. The organizing committee decided the match had to be played, fearing further violence if the rival factions met on the pitch. Against their will, both teams played. Juventus won 1-0 with a penalty scored by Michel Platini.
Legal and Political Consequences 🏛️
The tragedy had deep legal and political consequences, marking a turning point in stadium safety management. The English government was forced to take real action against hooliganism, which had reached alarming levels. The day after the tragedy, in the House of Commons, a Conservative MP admitted: “We claim to be the party of law, yet our failure in the stadiums is evident.” Another tragedy involving English football, the Hillsborough disaster, happened on April 15, 1989, during an FA Cup match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, where 96 people died due to overcrowding.
Margaret Thatcher’s government introduced strict measures, including the Football Spectators Act, to monitor violent fans, improve tracking, and identify those responsible. At the European level, UEFA banned all English clubs from continental competitions for five years (six for Liverpool). The 1985 UEFA Supercup match between Juventus and Everton (winners of the Cup Winners' Cup and Liverpool’s rivals) was canceled. To improve safety (e.g., all-seater stadiums) and combat football violence, the FA reshaped the competition and introduced the English Premier League, which debuted in the 1992/93 season.
Fourteen English fans were convicted of manslaughter in Belgium and sentenced to prison, confirming the responsibility of hooligans. Belgian officials and UEFA executives were heavily criticized for their poor organization, although legal consequences for them were limited. From then on, UEFA assumed full responsibility for organizing and managing European matches.
Conclusions ⚽
This match was highly anticipated, as two giants of football clashed. For Juventus, it was their third consecutive European final, with the aim of finally winning the one missing trophy. Liverpool, meanwhile, was a dominant force, having won four European Cups in the previous eight years.
The two clubs also symbolized contrasting worlds: Liverpool was experiencing unemployment and social collapse; Juventus, “La Fidanzata d’Italia” (Italy’s Girlfriend), represented Turin—a flourishing city with one of the most developed industrial districts in Italy.
Sector Z was the heart of the tragedy. The English barbaric charge overwhelmed neutral and defenseless fans. Some tried to flee but were swallowed by the stampede. A portion of the sector even collapsed. Thirty-two Italians, four Belgians, two Frenchmen, and one Northern Irishman died.
UEFA forced the match to be played to prevent the factions from clashing. Swiss referee André Daina awarded a controversial penalty, for a foul committed outside the box. Juventus won a meaningless match in terms of sport, but vital to avoid further violence. UEFA also instructed Juventus players to celebrate with fans in the southern stand to allow law enforcement to evacuate the northern part of the stadium.
None of the Juventus players ever boasted about that victory. Stefano Tacconi, Juventus’ goalkeeper, who arguably played his best match that night, has always admitted feeling embarrassed by it.
MAY THOSE WHO FELL THAT NIGHT REST IN ETERNAL PEACE – WE’LL NEVER STOP REMEMBERING YOU.
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Great read. Thankfully, hooliganism has mostly been kept in check in the 21st century.
Interesting read. It’s tragic when a much loved sport is ruined by mindless individuals like this.