Heysel Stadium disaster
Photograph of Section X during the disaster. | |
| Date | 29 May 1985 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Heysel Stadium |
| Location | Brussels, Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°53′45″N 4°20′3″E / 50.89583°N 4.33417°E |
| Cause | Dilapidated stadium; negligent administration; poor policing; football hooliganism |
| Participants | Supporters of Liverpool and Juventus |
| Outcome | English clubs banned from European competition for five years; Liverpool for six years |
| Deaths | 39 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 600 |
| Arrests | 34 |
| Convicted | Police captain Johan Mahieu, and 14 Liverpool fans convicted of manslaughter |
The Heysel Stadium disaster (French: Drame du Heysel [dʁam dy ɛzɛl]; Dutch: Heizeldrama [ˈɦɛizəlˌdraːmaː]; Italian: Strage dell'Heysel [ˈstraːdʒe delleiˈzɛl]) was a crowd disaster 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. It had failed inspections before the disaster, and the wall collapsed under the force. Thirty-nine spectators—mostly Italians and Juventus fans—were killed in the subsequent crush, while 600 more were injured.
An hour before the 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 be a "neutral" section, for those who had purchased tickets in Belgium. The throwing of objects back and forth led to larger scale physical altercations, and the chicken wire fence was soon ripped down. After initial fighting, Juventus fans in the neutral section began to run away from the Liverpool fans who had become involved, initially towards the pitch (where Belgian police would not allow them to go) and the exit (where they were not permitted to leave), and then in the direction of the decrepit wall. Fans already standing near the wall were crushed; eventually the wall collapsed, providing an escape route for some while contributing to the fatalities. Many people climbed to safety, but many others died or were badly injured. The game was played despite the pre-match incidents, after a state of siege was declared in the city, with Juventus winning 1–0.
The tragedy resulted in English football clubs being banned 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, and 14 Liverpool fans were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the Belgian authorities also being blamed, including police captain Johan Mahieu, who had been in charge of security, found guilty of manslaughter. The disaster was later described as "the darkest hour in the history of the UEFA competitions".