29-05-2025
Night Of Shame 1985
Delay in Brussels before The European Cup Final as crowd trouble turns the occasion into a tragedy.
On 29 May 1985, defending champions Liverpool and Juventus were to play in the 30th European Cup final at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.
An hour before kick-off, a ferocious battle between opposing fans flared up. The Belgian police were unable to control the situation. A small minority of Liverpool supporters fired stones and flares at the Italian section of the stadium. As the Juventus fans tried to escape, they were crushed against a wall, which then collapsed. They ultimately found safety on the running track around the pitch.
Some of the Juventus players go onto the pitch side track.
Multimillion-pound players mingling with the crowd, attempting to console some of them, attempting to keep passions down somewhat.
Meanwhile, the Liverpool supporters are eerily silent.
Nobody expected that anything like this would happen, it's a total embarrassment for everyone.
What was to be a big night for football has descended into,
A night of shame, of violence, of mayhem, and of death.
Tragically, 39 fans, mostly Juventus supporters, lost their lives, and hundreds more were injured. To avoid more trouble among fans, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) officials permitted the match to go ahead. Liverpool lost 1-0 to Juventus.
Following Heysel, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and UEFA imposed a five-year ban on all English clubs from entering European competitions. Liverpool FC was banned indefinitely. This was later changed to seven years, and finally six.
The European Cup Final was broadcast on 29 May 1985. The commentator is Ger Canning. MORE ARCHIVES DAILY
