Instead of leaving Brussels having seen our team lift a fifth European Cup, Liverpool supporters travelled back to England having witnessed the deaths of 38 Italians and one Belgian.
Liverpool had objected to the choice of ground to stage the final well before the friendly banter outside the stadium began to turn nasty inside. Aside from the fact that the stadium appeared to be crumbling, Liverpool's main concern was that there was to be a neutral section of the ground set aside for football fans from Belgium. The club argued that only Liverpool and Juventus should be allocated tickets. Setting aside a neutral area would only lead to both sets of fans being able to buy tickets off Belgium touts thus creating a dangerous mixed area. As history has since proved, this neutral area was soon filled with Italian supporters.
As tempers became frayed inside the ground about an hour before kick off, both sets of fans baited each other through a segregating fence made from chicken wire. After a sustained period of missiles being thrown by both sets of supporters, some Liverpool fans charged at their Italian counterparts and, as chaos took over, Juventus fans fled only for a wall blocking their escape to collapse on top of them. Thirty-nine football supporters died where they fell.
Almost 20 years after that terrible day, Liverpool and Juventus were drawn together again for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. It was if fate had brought the two teams together to join forces and honour those who had lost their lives at Heysel.
May 29 is a day of remembrance for both Juventus and Liverpool supporters. Think for a minute about those who lost their lives at Heysel and pray it never happens again.
May 29th remains a day of remembrance for both Juventus and Liverpool supporters.
| In Memoria e Amicizia, in Memory and Friendship | |||
| Rocco Acerra | Dionisio Fabbro | Loris Messore | Mario Ronchi |
| Bruno Balli | Jacques François | Gianni Mastrolaco | Domenico Russo |
| Alfons Bos | Eugenio Gagliano | Sergio Bastino Mazzino | Tarcisio Salvi |
| Giancarlo Bruschera | Francesco Galli | Luciano Rocco Papaluca | Gianfranco Sarto |
| Andrea Casula | Giancarlo Gonnelli | Luigi Pidone | Giuseppe Spalaore |
| Giovanni Casula | Alberto Guarini | Bento Pistolato | Mario Spanu |
| Nino Cerullo | Giovacchino Landini | Patrick Radcliffe | Tarcisio Venturin |
| Willy Chielens | Roberto Lorentini | Domenico Ragazzi | Jean Michel Walla |
| Giuseppina Conti | Barbara Lusci | Antonio Ragnanese | Claudio Zavaroni |
| Dirk Daenecky | Franco Martelli | Claude Robert | |
Rest in Peace
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