BRUSSELS
They went to see their favorite football team play in the European Cup final, but they didn’t make it home alive.
The 39 football fans who died in a stampede at Heysel Stadium in Brussels on May 29, 1985, were commemorated on Friday.
Thirty years on from one of the most tragic disasters in football history, Belgian politicians gathered at the stadium, now called the King Baudouin Stadium, where the 39 fans were killed and 600 others were injured an hour before the European Cup final between the Italian team Juventus and English club Liverpool.
The disaster unfolded when a large group of Liverpool fans breached a fence separating them from an area containing mostly Juventus fans – who then ran into a concrete wall and were crushed. The wall eventually collapsed.
"29 May 1985 should have been a day of joy and passion for football. Instead it became a tragedy caused by unprecedented violence that must never be allowed to happen again," Juventus said in a statement.
"This is a vile action that has no place in any stadium or sporting debate. This anniversary should also serve as a period of reflection, ensuring that such behavior is not repeated," Juventus said.
English football clubs were banned by UEFA from playing in European games for five years and Liverpool served an extra year.
Following a five-month trial after the disaster, 14 Liverpool fans were found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for three years.
