Heysel Stadium Disaster

Heysel Stadium disaster, tragedy at an association football match on May 29, 1985, at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that resulted in 39 deaths and 400 injuries.

The 1985 European Cup Final featured Liverpool—the champions of England and European Cup holders—and Juventus—the champions of Italy and holders of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. The two teams were at the height of their powers and had international players in every position. Television viewers across Europe tuned in for a highly anticipated match, but what they saw instead was a slowly unfolding tragedy that formed a terrible backdrop to an increasingly irrelevant game. The name of the host stadium, Heysel, subsequently become a watchword for hooliganism, incompetence among officials, and structural neglect.

The match was treated like any other big final. Tickets were allocated to the two sets of fans, and they were to be separated by a neutral section. Officials from both clubs had warned that many, mainly Belgians, in the neutral section were likely to sell their tickets to partisan fans. There was a history of violence between English and Italian clubs, and the previous year’s final in Rome had ended in acrimony when Liverpool defeated the local side Roma on penalties. Roma fans, the police, and local hoteliers had all turned on Liverpool fans, who were forced to seek refuge in the British embassy.

Liverpool supporters considered Heysel an opportunity for revenge. The neutral section quickly filled with mainly Italian fans, and all that separated them from the Liverpool section was a flimsy fence. Taunts started, and then missiles began to fly. The fence was quickly breached, and the Liverpool fans advanced. Panic erupted as Juventus supporters and others in the neutral section tried to retreat, only to find their way blocked by a concrete wall. The pressure proved too much, and the structure gave way, crushing the trapped Italian fans and others.

Heysel Stadium had been built in the 1920. It had failed inspections, and the threat of closure hung over it, which resulted in little spending on maintenance. Local police had embarked on a policy of getting unruly fans into the stadium early, rather than arresting them. All of these factors contributed to the tragedy.