Why is it a secret?

comment by moreinjuredthanowen (U9641)
posted 1 hour, 37 minutes ago
Bradford was horrendous.

The fact it rarely gets air time is disgusting.

Heysel was disgraceful all round. Those charged deserved more but the organisers etc all share some blame as all these 80s disasters share one common factor, terrible, unsafe football grounds.

It's quite clear what happened at hysel and it would be better all round if near on 40 years later juve and lfc could finally come together properly on it. There's folks who are ultras who were not born who carry on at lfc fans who were not born either and it's be far better I think to remember the dead properly as the blame part is clear.

Same for Bradford. I think it's sick thst nobody raises how people died there just going to a game.
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Like kings cross back in ‘87, a lit cigarette the cause, unreal.

I spent the day revising for exams and was looking forward to the European cup fnal that evening. Had the radio on in the background and was hearing reports of trouble and people dying.
Turned the telly on and watched in shock. Reports of Liverpool fans charging at Juve fans and the wall collapsing etc. The banner that the Juve fans had unveiled saying REDS ANIMALS.
The Juve fan with a gun shooting at the police. The match still being played after all that. The authorities had lost control. Reports in the gutter press the following morning of how the National Front had been behind the violence. Some claiming that Chelsea fans wearing Liverpool scarves were the cause. Nonsense of course. The resulting in all English clubs being banned indefinitely. Saw a youtube vid with a Liverpool fan who was there describing that the Juve fans had slapped up some kids and the Liverpool fans werent having that and charged at them. Total disaster. That match should not have been played at Heysel. It was unfit to host such a big game. It had been built in 1930 and was 55 years old. Arsenal had played there in 1980 and it was just as unsafe then.

I can shed a little bit of light on Heysel, as I was actually there
We arrived in Brussels at about 9am, having spent the previous 3 nights in Ostend
The day was spent mingling amicably with Juventus fans - drinking, swapping shirts, scarves, stories etc and there was no hint of any trouble whatsoever, in the bars, in an around the ground.
Seeing the state of the ground was an eye opener - crumbling concrete everywhere, lumps of it just waiting to be picked up and chucked.
Also cause for concern was the fact that the Juve fans not only had one entire end, but also a sizeable chunk of "our" end, separated by a flimsy metal fence.
I forget exactly when the trouble started but it was initiated by the aforementioned concrete being chucked by a minority of BOTH sets of fans. This was all happening at "our" end.
The rest you probably all know. The charge by Liverpool fans caused the wall to collapse and 39 fans died as a result.
A little bit later, a banner about 100 feet long was unfurled at the Juve end with 2 words on it. REDS ANIMALS.
I find it hard to believe to this day that it was made there and then and a degree of premeditation was certainly plausible

Oh yes, the vast majority of the Liverpool fans were sat down during all this, not getting involved and actually singing & pointing to the perpetrators "you're the ѕhit of Merseyside"

I'm not making any excuses for what happened, and everything above is 100% true

Thanks for that. I was hoping someone who was there would write and tell of their experiences.
It was an awful tragedy, and the match should not have been played imo.

comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 17 minutes ago
Thanks for that. I was hoping someone who was there would write and tell of their experiences.
It was an awful tragedy, and the match should not have been played imo.
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Totally agree on both counts

There was a rumour, and I stress, only a rumour that not only was the trouble premeditated, but was set to actually happen at the European Cup Winners Cup Final 2 weeks prior to Heysel between Everton & Rapid Vienna at the final Feijenoord Stadium in Rotterdam. For some reason, this never happened and attention was shifted to Liverpool v Juventus

comment by Fik Tossa (U22768)
posted 2 hours, 40 minutes ago
I spent the day revising for exams and was looking forward to the European cup fnal that evening. Had the radio on in the background and was hearing reports of trouble and people dying.
Turned the telly on and watched in shock. Reports of Liverpool fans charging at Juve fans and the wall collapsing etc. The banner that the Juve fans had unveiled saying REDS ANIMALS.
The Juve fan with a gun shooting at the police. The match still being played after all that. The authorities had lost control. Reports in the gutter press the following morning of how the National Front had been behind the violence. Some claiming that Chelsea fans wearing Liverpool scarves were the cause. Nonsense of course. The resulting in all English clubs being banned indefinitely. Saw a youtube vid with a Liverpool fan who was there describing that the Juve fans had slapped up some kids and the Liverpool fans werent having that and charged at them. Total disaster. That match should not have been played at Heysel. It was unfit to host such a big game. It had been built in 1930 and was 55 years old. Arsenal had played there in 1980 and it was just as unsafe then.
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I remember seeing that PR!k shooting his gun. People who didn't see the live reports don't believe me to this day. I can't even find a video of the ¢unt.

I didn't know whether to post this or not, it's never talked about so I was anxious about other fans just taking the piss.
But actually it has been a grown up conv. conversation, and I should think anyone under 45 learned something, I did.
I'm chuffed how it went, cheers all.

Yes, well done everyone for not flinging accusations around and keeping it civil.

https://youtu.be/UsQ2h1I21Ks

This is the youtube video I saw with the Liverpool fan describing what happened that night

comment by Fik Tossa (U22768)
posted 10 hours ago
https://youtu.be/UsQ2h1I21Ks

This is the youtube video I saw with the Liverpool fan describing what happened that night
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Thanks for posting that

It echoes perfectly my memories from 37 years ago