Exactly 40 years ago to the day what should have been a festival of football at the highest level turned into a tragedy that resulted in the loss of 39 lives. What was then called the Heizel Stadium in Brussels hosted the final of the European Cup, UEFA’s club competition for the league champions of each of its member countries. Two giants of European football, Juventus and Liverpool were in the final and fans across European and beyond had been looking forward to the match in the preceding weeks.
Hooliganism was a big issue in both English and Italian football in the 1980s. This and poor organisation on the part of the relevant authorities here played their part in the tragic events that resulted in the deaths of 39 people and left hundreds more injured. Despite the carnage on the terraces the match went ahead, albeit an hour later than planned.
29 May 1985 is a date that remains etched in the collective memories of football fans. It was the date of the European Cup final between Juventus Turin and Liverpool. In the hours before the match, Italian and English football fans were drinking and fraternising peacefully in the centre of Brussels. However, as their alcohol consumption increased, so did their aggression levels and the first brawls were reported a couple of hours before the game was due to start.
Inside the stadium a friendly match between two teams of players wearing the shirts of two finalists got under way as pre-match entertainment. However, outbreaks of violence on the terraces led to the friendly match being abandoned. However, worse was yet to come.
Hooligans
Around an hour before kick-off, a group of Liverpool fans stormed the stadium’s Block Z. This had been intended for neutral fans. However, some UEFA officials had sold Juventus fans tickets for this area via Italian travel agencies. Only a fence separated the Italian fans, many of whom were families with children, from the Liverpool hooligans. The fence was soon breached causing panic among the Italian supporters, who tried to escape.
A wall collapsed under the pressure of the panic-stricken crowd. Many of them fell to the ground and some were trampled to death or seriously injured. Some fans were also buried under the rubble of the collapsed wall. All this was shown live on television.
Initially inaction
The response was ineffective to say the least. Prior to kick-off there were only 8 Belgian police officers in the whole of the stadium. To make matters worse issues with their police radios meant that they were initially unable to call for help.
39 people, including 2 women and a child lost their lives. More than 400 people were injured, some of them seriously. Fearing further violence if the match were called off, the 1985 European Cup final kicked off, albeit an hour and a half late. Juventus won the match by a goal to nil thanks to Michel Platini penalty.
Following the Heizel Disaster all English teams were banned from European competitions for five years. Liverpool were banned for six years. Belgium was also excluded from organising any European finals for 10 years.
New name
Following the disaster the Heizel Stadium that was outdated and in poor repair was thoroughly renovated and renamed the King Boudewijn Stadium. The next time it was used for international games apart from the Belgian national football teams home matches was in 2000 when Belgium and the Netherlands hosted Euro 2000.
A memorial plaque (see photo below) hangs on one of the outer walls of the stadium commemorating the tragic events of 29 May 1985.