Football´s "Day Of Shame" - The Heysel Stadium Disaster (1985)

Sometimes a tragedy occurs where almost everyone involved seems to want to forget it as quickly as possible. The Heysel Stadium tragedy is one such event. A mixture of hooliganism, poor planning and inept policing led to one of football's darkest days....
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[@elliottprice6084]

1985 has to be the worst year for football tragedies, as this occurred close to the Bradford City fire. But what makes this tragedy so painful is just about everything, and the enquiry which was, putting it mildly, a shambles. RIP to the 39 people who died in this tragedy

[@Dusty3030]

And Liverpool wonders why their fans were originally blamed for Hillsboro. They were involved in so many incidents.

[@jbaker7311]

Thank you for posting this. A dreadful disaster. George Carlin once said never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. His quote I believe was used in a humorous way but there is nothing humorous when applying it here. This is not meant as any disrespect to the victims.

[@DL-ij7tf]

Reminds me of the scene in Men In Black where Tommy Lee Jones counters Jada Pickett Smith's estranged husband saying that people are smart by saying "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky animals and you know it." Underrated scene, Tommy's dialog was really good.

[@ItsJustLisa]

George Carlin was a wise man.

[@joekulik999]

"The power of stupid people in large groups" -- That describes the United States Army since 1945 to me.

[@paulthrutner9114]

That quote was mainly aimed at religious people but can count for a lot more

[@cleeks5549]

@@DL-ij7tfHis name is Will Smith, he was the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

[@indigohammer5732]

I watched it on telly. The camera was on a guy who had a brick, literally bounce off the back of his head. You could see these other guys rioting in the background who threw it. The guy walked up to two uniformed Police, put his hand on his head, showed them the blood, points to the guys in the background and the two Police nod then leather the fvck out of him with their batons! I’ll never forget that! It was crazy beyond belief!!!

[@sambagogo777]

When discussing the Heysel Stadium Disaster many people seem to forget an event which foreshadowed it the previous season. I refer to the League Cup semi-final at Fellows Park on 14th February 1984 between Walsall and Liverpool. Surging Liverpool fans caused such a crush that the wall collapsed. Injured fans were attended to by the usual first responders and even some of Liverpool's players. The video of it is on KZbin.

[@marksims3904]

That's right, after Liverpool's second goal went in. You can hear the THUMP of the wall as it collapses.

[@swimmad456]

Interesting how these problems followed Liverpool fans.

[@TR-rz1xt]

Even in the early-ish 70's, Liverpool fans were notorious. I remember a game at Norwich ('73-'74?) when the knives were out in their stand (Barclay)

[@archstanton6102]

​@@swimmad456Not just Liverpool but most major England clubs playing in Europe.

[@dfuher968]

Its likely, why the English fans were blamed in the report. They were very easy to finger, since calling them notorious is putting it mildly. Their reputation for being very violent was well known. Any city being told, an English team would be playing there, expected widespread destruction, like a swarm of locust, as well as plenty of random violence. Which made it very easy to blame them for this disaster, but just scratching the surface it also makes it really mindboggling, why there was so little security at the stadium, and they were so unprepared. On top of the horrendous state of the stadium. But UEFA demanding the game be played anyway? Ofc, they did, its all about the money. They still do it. Remember the EUROs? When Christian Eriksen collapsed and had to be revived on the pitch? UEFA still demanded, the game be played either immidiately that night or early the next morning. Thats the reason, the game was still played, while the Danish player were still in total shock and still didnt know, if he was ok. And ofc UEFA later tried to blame the players, saying that they were the 1s, who wanted to finish the game that night, neatly not mentioning the ultimatum, the players had been given. Some things never change.

[@reachandler3655]

Your ability to research and present these disasters factually and compassionately is much appreciated.

[@trainrover]

or even his chilling take-away right at the end here :brrrRrr:

[@natewunderman4597]

My grandparents owned a tourist shop adjacent to the Brussels Grand Place. My grandfather decided to close their store that day, as he was well aware of the loutish reputation of football fans, particularly English ones. His fellow shopkeeper friends who did open that day regretted it, with windows smashed, merchandise stolen, and stores trashed, if they were lucky. As for me, I watched the whole thing Heysel tragedy on Channel 34 in Los Angeles, CA. Not surprised the Belgian police bungled the whole thing either.

[@trainrover]

must that've been a sports show, or had it just been a matter of Hollowoody rubberneck productionists internationally interrupting regular programming..?

[@TheGodParticle]

He was wise to close.

[@jb9433]

Liverpool fans were notorious for stealing on trips to Europe. And then attacking anyone, including families.

[@MrNick-og4qm]

The mentality of the “crowd beast” is terrifying. It’s how I know humans are still close to animals in a way, we pick up emotions of other people even without noticing it, and it can spread like wildfire or like broadcasting to receivers.

[@joekulik999]

Humans are STILL 100% animal. It is the failure of Western Civilization to embrace and understand the animal side of the human condition that leads to wars, crime, and the type of debacle reported in this video.

[@64HomeMade]

We're just another branch of the animal kingdom. We are supposed to be at the top of that branch but it does seem questionable.

[@elmin82]

what a tragedy, rest in peace to all the victims

[@grapeshot]

In the 1980s there seemed to be one disaster after another involving English/ European football.

[@Sacto1654]

The 1980's were the low point for English football, as the Football League First Division teams suffered from serious finance issues, crumbling stadiums and too much fan hooliganism. The Heysel tragedy was inevitable, and it also led to the even worse Hillsborough tragedy four years later. The Hillsborough tragedy and this tragedy forced football stadiums to massively modernize with better safety controls, aggressive policing against hooligans and rebuilding/replacement of many old stadiums.

[@paul123ggggggggg]

the results of a dead end society and a limited gene pool.

[@meetoo594]

I remember watching this live on the BBC. The things that stick in my memory are the chap getting smashed up with a scaffold pole, another guy waving a gun around (air pistol maybe?) and someone getting twatted with a brick to the head. Kudos to the BBC for not killing the live transmission of the carnage as broadcasting protocol demanded before the watershed. The BBC commentators were in disbelief when the players came onto the pitch to kick off after all that had happened. Also remember playing `England vs Uventas ` at school next day. This involved 2 groups of lads charging into and fighting each other lol.

[@paulsmodels]

Just what is it about football/soccer that brings out the worst in some people? Even when a group of fans get together and watch it on TV, it becomes really strange, and people become mindless idiots yelling at the TV, and each other.

[@scarpfish]

Manfactured tribalism and alcohol seldom mix well.

[@snippyJ]

Right off the top of my head I don't recall hockey fans doing things like this. I could be wrong, I probably am, but hockey fans and even baseball fans don't seem to be this maniacal.

[@acidmack1041]

It's not actually about the football...especially back in the 70s & 80s. Each team had a "firm" and they would travel with their teams to other "firms" grounds to fight with them. They didnt fight over the football, it was basically gangs that attached themselves to football teams to fight other teams gangs to earn reputations. Kind of like how gang sets are in America.

[@phil2782]

​@@snippyJI seem to recall atleast a few times baseball and hockey fans have swamped the fields and rioted. I think baseball more so than hockey.

[@user-wm3bf7pi3u]

@@phil2782 There was a soccer field that had a dry moat 8 foot deep and 8 foot wide between the fans and the field, to keep the fans from rushing the field but also to keep the players from rushing the crowd.......

[@ClefairyRox]

It's kind of bonkers to me how many deadly international football disasters there have been, especially in the 80s. There definitely seems to have a problem with how the sport was managed back then, as in comparison, the U.S.'s deadliest sports disaster took place back in 1900 and was caused by a bunch of people crowding on a flimsy factory roof to watch a game (though to be fair, the U.S. has had plenty of other deadly events not involving sports, like the Who concert crush). A lot of hard lessons had to be learned from this disaster, Bradford, and Hillsborough.

[@brianoneil9662]

I was stationed in West Germany with the US Army when this happened. The consensus among the German football fans I spoke to was that ALL British fans were hooligans and thus it had to be THEIR fault.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Family who drove long haul trucks across Europe have told me that at that time, they were not speaking English at all in bars or pubs or restaurants at all because of that exact reason, there was a lot of hostility towards the English in some quarters post Heysel

[@hollandsemum1]

My brand new husband and I were visiting family in the Netherlands in 1988 when NL won the European Cup. When my cousins realized we liked football, he offeered to take us to a forthcoming game. We were agreeable until he said they were playing an English team. At that point we lost interest, because of the potential safety risks.

[@dfuher968]

English hooligans were... well, notoriously, tho that doesnt even cover it. Any1, who wanted to remain alive and healthy knew to stay far away from them, and they were known to ravage any city, their teams played in. Their reputation has not much improved since then, tho enforcement has become a lot tougher, but still, its a problem. At the World Cup in France, English fans injured several others from other nations in random attacks, 1 of them even murdered some1. And their behavior at the latest EUROs was so atrocious, that at the finals every1 in Europe were cheering for Italy, even those, who didnt even know, who the English were playing. So its still a problem, tho enforcement has gotten the worst of it. Sure, some other countries have problems with their fans too, but nowhere near the degree of the English. We all know to keep a distance. The Irish on the other hand are well loved, they are the greatest fans around, always in a good mood and ready to help any1.

[@wobblybobengland]

@@dfuher968 You don't know what you are talking about.

[@oxthree448]

@@wobblybobengland Not to mention that @dfuher968 is a piece of s*** with his(or her) bigotry.

[@TK-fk4po]

Just baffles me that people take any sporting event or team that seriously. I mean, get a freaking life.

[@dfuher968]

For most, its a good time. But for some subsections its misused as an excuse for violence. Fortunately, enforcement is a lot better now, and the violent ppl are identified and banned from matches and in some cases from entering other countries. Tho the English hooligans are still notoriious, and we all know to avoid them at any time. My guess would be, that its become focused on football, coz thats by far to biggest sport in Europe, and it sets huge crowd together of especially a lot of men, many of them younger, and crowd mentality takes hold. But thats just my guess. Tho even among the non-violent majority, there are many, who live their lives through "their" team. I dont understand that either, but again, its the tribalism, the chance to be part of something bigger. And I would guess, sometimes its the only respite from the struggles of everyday life. I remember, when Napoli was very successful in the 80s with Maradona on the team, Napoli was a very poor city, yet the fans were willing to forego lunch all week to be able to afford a ticket on Sunday. It gave them something, they could otherwise never have. Maradona for all his flaws is still worshipped in Napoli, coz he gave that to them.

[@wobblybobengland]

It's nothing to do with the sport, it's nutjobs who club together to fight.

[@ATK10155]

It isn’t just a game to them. It’s their entire life. The other team is just an outlet for anger and racism.

[@TK-fk4po]

@@ATK10155 Makes zero sense. Get s life I’d say.

[@johnandrews8590]

@@TK-fk4po That IS their life. That's the point.

[@klaseronen7535]

I watched this tragedy live on TV with my family. Absolutely horrifying and terribly sad. Something I will never forget. Rest in peace to all those who perished and my sympathy to their families and friends. 💖

[@brendandarkside1207]

Never underestimate the power of small people in small groups

[@liquidjp]

I was on a school trip to Belgium and watched it on Belgian TV, utterly incomprehensible that the match went on. we were told to keep a very low profile for the rest of the trip.

[@bansidheaz]

I watched this match live on TV. It was on the Spanish channel, soccer/football not being very popular in the US at the time. I don't speak much Spanish and thus wasn't aware of the true horror of the situation right away, but eventually figured out that they were talking about the number of people who had been killed. It was quite a surreal experience.

[@hayleyxyz]

Another too-often-forgotten disaster. Great video.

[@mrkipling2201]

Although a small minority of English fans were responsible for the deaths of the 39 people, UEFA and the Belgian authorities were also responsible. UEFA for choosing that death trap of a ground and the Belgian authorities for not making sure that the ground and the fans were policed properly. Juventus fans weren't angels that night either. One of them brought a starting pistol into the ground and the Reds Animals banner wasn’t made up on the spot. I say English fans because it wasn’t just Liverpool fans there. Theres a picture on gettyimages of Blocks X and Y and theres a bloke in an Arsenal shirt at the bottom of the terrace. Magnify it and you can see him clearly. The whole of that end should have been given to Liverpool fans. The other end was given to Juventus fans so why the difference?? I've never understood that decision. Terrible night.

[@cottinghamcyclinggardener6822]

Yes the Italians even had a big banner saying 'Killer Reds' which must have been prepared earlier. In fact I recall it was the Italian fans that started it all.

[@mrkipling2201]

​@@cottinghamcyclinggardener6822I think the events after the 1984 European Cup final in Rome had something to do with it as well.

[@MrIrishscouse]

​@@mrkipling2201 You should read Bill Buford's book 'Among The Thugs'. In that there is an account of man utd supporters in Turin in April 1984 in the second leg of the European Cup Winners Cup semifinal. utd fans rioted that night. Juventus supporters were probably looking ahead to the prospect of their team playing English opponents in Europe the following year.

[@MoultrieGeek]

Brilliant summation of a very complex subject. I liked how even-handed you were, presenting fact without undo embellishment or hyperbole and acknowledging gaps and sources of your research. Your continued documentary excellence is astounding and I look forward to every post.

[@jordanscherr6699]

I'm still trying to get my head around "..Why Heysel Stadium?" They HAD other options, and knew the danger, so what corruption occurred to muddle the choice? Edit: The idea of an official being sent-off via this "honor" isn't impossible. But to call that irresponsible would be an understatement!

[@georgesullivan4473]

Uefa did a parting gift to a High up Belgian official to acknowledge his retirement which in part is why this stadium was chosen

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

The wrong way round piers are clearly shown at (03:52) (04:55) and (10:55). It's incredible that this ground was even still standing in 1985, never mind playing the biggest game in European club football at it. It's easy to point fingers at the supporters, particularly those of Liverpool, but the game should never have been played at Heysel. UEFA were to blame, and they knew it.

[@birkinsmith88]

Never heard of this... Everyone's always going on about The Hillsborough Disaster, and I'm not trying to diminish that tragedy, but we all need to learn about this, too. (it sounds like the police involved in Hillsborough took a leaf from the continental coppers book and blamed the victims of committing atrocities towards other victims and cops in order to avoid blame themselves)

[@jb9433]

Liverpool fans caused both Hillsborough (along with the police response) and Heysel. The police actions were forced by Liverpool fans turning up late/with forged tickets/ or no tickets to force the gates. They did this regularly in the 80s, as most fans of that time will tell you. But that part of the Hillsborough narrative is covered up, as is Liverpool's responsibility for Heysel. Only Scousers believe their own BS. It's always someone else's fault. The rest of the country knows exactly what the truth is.

[@obi-wan-kenobi8875]

Love your channel ❤

[@danielabackstrom]

Horrible. And all for sports.

[@brycechegainous3926]

Brodies making up the long break with back to back vids keep them coming 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@donaldhudson2235]

Thanks for more insight on this I remember this back 1985. Keep it up thanks.

[@_Ben4810]

I went to college with a West Midlands-based Liverpool fan who was there at Heysel for this match...I will forever remember the big gormless lunkhead that he was, totally unrepentant in his apparent actions & behavior that night (I recall one of his mates saying you could easily pick him out in the TV & press coverage), he really was the epitome of the moronic 1980's low IQ football hooligan who was so easily influenced by those around him & the collective/pack mentality... & not least, his actions played a part in my team not being able to play football in Europe the following season...

[@johneeeemarry34]

Ben Dover.

[@steve-kl9iv]

So you're saying non scousers were there? Well we all know that. And the lad you knew is probably a Walsall fan who also likes Liverpool

[@jb9433]

Typical Liverpool fan.

[@jb9433]

@@steve-kl9iv Taht's a typical Scouse response...proper, proper low life.

[@sirrliv]

In retrospect, it's hard to look at disasters like Heysel and Hillsborough, not to mention the Bradford Stadium Fire, and not gape in wonder at how the sport of football as a whole even survived the 1980's. Under a harsher government (and Belgium in particular has a reputation for its litigiousness), one would expect such rampant hooliganism to have been judged as hostile riotous behavior and to have been met with the threat of a legal ban on the sport in its entirety if it did not cease immediately, not aided by the appallingly unsafe state of many football grounds such as Heysel and Bradford. "If you can't behave yourselves and keep your sporting grounds safe for players and public, you don't get to play at all. And if your so-called fans are going to be a menace to society then you all pay the price." Even half a century later, it's not hard to see how such events cast a dim light on the legacy on the sport for those outside of its fanbase. Even if by and large the roudiness has dropped to public drunkenness, mostly harmless pranks, and generally making obnoxious spectacles of themselves, one can't help but look at the average crowd of yobbos slurring their songs on a late night train home and potentially remember stories like Heysel and think to one's self, "What's changed so much that they couldn't do it again? Whatever they're associated with, I want nothing to do with that."

[@g_e_o_m9369]

Money and politics, I assume the only thing that governments of the 1980's feared in banning football would be the backlash that would unite an entire fanbase of an entire country against *them* rather than the obviously corrupt and underhanded tactics of the club owners and governing body. The other is money, we neglect to realise the leagues of difference in professional sports today and as recently as the 1980 and how much sponsorship money is on the table and the effects that DEI has on shaping the game. The governing body is going to move heaven and earth to ensure that there isn't a coca-cola/McDonalds/Nike/Addidas logo on the next crowd crush.

[@Rich-bb5gp]

Mrs Thatcher's press secretary Sir Bernard Ingham said that he believed Mrs T would have banned football after Heysel if she could have found a way to do so.

[@mikeheap7978]

The difference with the Bradford Fire and Hillsborough tragedy was they were accidents, although poor management increased the level of the disasters. Heysal was no accident, 14 Liverpool fans were convicted of manslaughter (go Google it). This gets glossed over by the British media.

[@c_hanley]

The algorithm needs to push this channel. Good content always coming out of TRE

[@jetblueseven]

never heard of this one. thanks for shedding light

[@LMB222]

Seriously? This was on TV for years.

[@danielabackstrom]

@@LMB222 never heard of this either

[@covidonenine1948]

An excellent video about this awful day in 1985

[@tommyhemlock7915]

I know it’ll be a complete waste of time saying this, but I’m going to anyway. Both Liverpool and Juventus appealed to UEFA to move the final to another venue as both considered it totally unsuitable and unsafe for the biggest club match in world football (which it was, even back then). Arsenal had warned of how dilapidated the stadium was 5 years earlier when they played a ECWC match against Anderlecht there. Even when it hosted the final of the same competition in 1976 it was starting to look as if it were in imminent danger of collapsing. It was UEFA who had the moronic idea to have a section for neutral fans at what was destined to be the Liverpool end, either forgetting or not realising that there was a big Italian expat community living in Brussels, many of whom were Juventus fans. Finally, they banned Belgium from hosting any European finals for 10 years after this disaster, inadvertently admitting it was the wrong venue all along. Everyone was at fault except UEFA in UEFA’s eyes, a fact that persists to this day.

[@thecryingshame]

Well done video mate.

[@TheAngieStoned]

I love you content, mate!

[@thepagan5432]

Violence in football was commonplace during the 1970s 80s and early 90s. I'd gone to my first match in 1968. All European countries had some violent supporters. In England supporters from rival teams had a truce when supporting England, this also tended to be the same with other European countries. I saw my fair share of club violence and international violence when foreign countries or clubs played in England. I've personally seen darts, kung fu stars, bricks, bottles, sharpened coins etc being thrown in and outside the stadiums. Heysel stadium was not fit to have such a match played there, and the policing of the game was abysmal. Yes, the fans got out of hand, but if the stadium was in a fit state and the policing was adequate perhaps the number and type of injury would have been nowhere near what is was. Heartbreaking episode for football ❤❤❤

[@sd3457]

Disasters never have a single cause. They are always the combination of a number of factors, that are seemingly innocuous or unlikely on their own, but come together to cause tragedy.

[@WoBlink1961]

Another excellently researched, non biased commentary on a horrible happening. Not sure it would be possible to do a completely non biased report concerning Hillsborough though......

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

First video of yours I watched was the Bradford stadium fire. Now here we are regarding this one.

[@amandahugankiss4110]

Sounds like they knew it was going to be a shit show and therefore had no interest in wreaking up a new stadium. That, or, they knew it was going to go tits-up and this was an insurance scam.

[@eadweard.]

Rambling drivel.

[@Ellis_B]

Yes my thoughts maybe a set up

[@aussierob7177]

Also in 1985 there were 2 horrific plane crashes claiming the lives of 800 people.

[@matthewschreck6418]

I avoid crowded places at all times. Remember the saying- Death loves a crowd!

[@Ellis_B]

Not heard that very true

[@wtorules4743]

I watched some of the live broadcast at the time. It certainly looked like war. This video as usual is beautifully researched and sympathetically told. I didn’t know any of the background to the story and considered myself educated. I hope nothing like this ever happens again.

[@lyedavide]

That's the reason why crowd control is so important. Although the Liverpool fans did the actual damage, the Belgian police and UEFA should share the blame and responsibility

[@jb9433]

Why?

[@gemfyre855]

It's interesting that I can tell you the ins and outs of the Bradford Stadium fire or the Hillsborough crush, but Heysel is just like "oh yeah, I've heard of that, not sure on the details though."

[@danw2112]

Since you did Bradford City and Heysel Stadium, there is one more disaster left to "complete the soccer/football trilogy". 😢

[@stevesestrich5143]

None of this happens at American sporting events. I know that a lot of British and European people think that they're more civilized than us, but they are just as violent and thuggish.

[@MakerInMotion]

Our gangs form for the purpose of narcotics dealing and the violence is over territory in the narcotics business. Horrific violence, but there's at least a clear reason why they engage in it. Fighting over soccer is just violence for the sake of violence.

[@PrezVeto]

We have some hooligans, too, but they tend not to bother paying for tickets. They just riot in Philadelphia after they win. I suspect many European hooligans are similar in that they don't actually care about the game much. It's just an excuse to be aggressive and destructive.

[@Aled1976]

We don't have any school massacres in the UK.... So get off your high horse and stop being so damn holier than thou!

[@johneeeemarry34]

The data regarding assault and murder in the USA is conclusive regarding American thuggery v European thuggery, please do some basic research before posting comments on the internet.

[@coyh1493]

I have a question, why do Liverpool only talk about Hillsborough, and never mention Heysel ?? We also don’t hear from Bolton Wanderers about the Burnden Park disaster, where 33 fans died, or Bradford City about the fire which claimed 56 fans, or Rangers, which lost 66 fans in a crush at an old firm derby. All these tragedies involved loss of life, but only one is remembered, only a yearly basis .

[@steve-kl9iv]

That's because Bradford, burden and Ibrox were not covered up by police and the fans blamed. Duh!

[@coyh1493]

@@steve-kl9iv and you still didn’t mention Heysel, point proven.

[@steve-kl9iv]

@@coyh1493 there is a plaque at Anfield, a permanent memorial on the club website and a section in the club museum. Heysel, like Bradford, burden and Ibrox was investigated and not covered up

[@coyh1493]

@@steve-kl9iv so Heysel wasn’t covered up , so who was to blame for the Italian supporters deaths, and why were English clubs banned from Europe??

[@steve-kl9iv]

@@coyh1493 I suggest you watch this video you are commenting on, it explains it all pretty well

[@Youcanttouchmyhandle]

15:25 Memoriam Tribute Thank you so much The Raven’s Eye You Tube Channel

[@mac7040]

Well I think anyone who went to a football match in the 80s should have expected trouble. Taking your wife and kids to such events is frankly irresponsible

[@Osc1llateW1ldly]

fun fact: THE original team from Liverpool played in Rotterdam 2 weeks before this tragedy happened in Cup winners cup final - well over 20 thousand their fans travel to see their team beat Rapid Vienna with wait for it... zero arrests

[@steve-kl9iv]

Another fact. Rapid had very few if any hooligans and Austrians hadn't stabbed Everton fans the previous season. Fun fact number 2. Everton brag about being the best firm in England, still go on about stabbing Millwall fans in 1973 and tried to repeat it the other year in the fa cup but came unstuck 😂 Ps, you forgot your fake condolences in your post, on this the anniversary.

[@Osc1llateW1ldly]

@@steve-kl9ivfun fact number 3: not liverpools fault 😂

[@steve-kl9iv]

@@Osc1llateW1ldly well it wasn't was it. Why is it Liverpool's fault? There was no membership scheme back then and no vetting of who bought tickets. However Liverpool DID raise concerns about ticket allocations, the neutral section and lack of segregation..... beforehand.

[@oxenrat]

UEFA should have borne the brunt of fault as they were advised not to use it. So they chose what followed. Either way, this was a terrible event, thank you for all the work you put into educating us all on events we otherwise would not have heard of.

[@Mike-xh8fl]

When it got to the point where UEFA went ahead with the game my jaw dropped. What a joke of an organization.

[@theretiredmariner2488]

I was there that night with my brother and hours before kick off you could see plenty getting into the ground without tickets. When the gates broke open we bunked in because we'd got tickets for the Juventus end as we'd travelled to Belgium with Italian friends. There was no organisation inside the ground with only a chicken wire fence and a few coppers protecting the Z section which although designated as neutral was frequented by Italian. I personally took darts of a German who was going to throw them and whilst Liverpool and their supporters took most of the blame, the police and football authorities should look in the mirror and ask if they could have done a better job? RIP 39, FORZA JUVE

[@TheWES047]

Comments help with the algorithm. I comment therefore I am 👍

[@Rayman1971]

I don't understand the entire "football hooligan" scene. Just a bunch of fools, IMO....

[@Youcanttouchmyhandle]

12:29 Abuse of Power 2nd incident: failure to implement Justice on the individuals responsible, misleading the public whilst holding a position of responsibility to ensure justice is served, causing a “ division of us vs them” by protecting criminals and false accusations, etc

[@tomworthington2774]

That was the disaster in a nutshell. There’s no doubt it was a combination of the two sets of fans, inadequate stadium, poor policing, the so called “neutral zone”, organisation and corruption in the build up that led to the disaster.

[@Eiuol81853]

Having read multiple narratives about this disaster, I think the culpability should've been squarely on local Belgian officials as well as event organizers who picked as decrepit shithole of a stadium to hold Europe's football championship. I think because Liverpool (and English) fans got mostly scapegoated to cover up for UEFAs' horrendous planning for this. But institutions skating from culpability is nothing new with these types of events, as we saw with another football disaster four years later involving the West Yorkshire Police and the Hillsborough disaster.

[@saragrant9749]

Every aspect of this screams cowardice and ignorance, from the behavior of spectators to event management and the police. Such a travesty.

[@maverick4177]

It is funny how this is never remembered by Liverpool fans, yet the other disaster is never far from any topic at the club

[@kimifur]

My guess is they are either too young to be aware, or too ashamed to admit it. In both instances, however, blame was either disproportionately (Heysel) or unfairly (Hillsborough) directed at Liverpool fans.

[@Aled1976]

It is, if people actually did a proper research!!

[@andy84933]

Has as already been suggested try doing some research. There is a memorial plaque at Anfield stadium in remembrance for the Juventus fans where people pay their respects on the anniversary of the tragedy. Also if you care to take a look at the Liverpool FC crest you will notice two eternal flames, if you don't know what the two flames represent I will tell you, one flame represents the Hillsborough victims and the other flame represents the victims of Heysel. But hey don't let facts get in the way of your biased hatred for Liverpool Football Club.

[@Aled1976]

@@andy84933 well said!! And there's a charity match every year, every other year in Liverpool and Turin by fans of both sides to raise money for the victims and their relatives and other charities which has been going for many years now. And like I said to one person who pointed out that it doesn't happen in America and pointed out that we had "issues" in the UK and Europe. Well, school shootings don't happen in the UK and in Europe, because we don't need guns, so they should stop being so ignorant and holier than thou!

[@andy84933]

@@Aled1976 Yeah mate just been reading the other post and given them a thumbs up. And yeah that match between the fans I haven't heard of it in a while, just doesn't seem to get any publicity.

[@simonbletsoe7059]

Dozens dead. Liverpool were the best in Europe. Broke my heart at thirteen years old.

[@Ellis_B]

1st game I remember vividly as a kid

[@tonylelli3057]

The disaster caused by Liverpool fans storming the family enclosure but not one of them wants to talk about it! 🤫

[@davidyardley512]

Bradford 2 weeks earlier, Heysel, and then Hillsborough 4 years later all had the same problem - dilapidated and unsafe grounds. The facilities were so run down at Heysel that rival supporters were able to break off concrete blocks of the terraces and fire them at each other. The combination of poor facilities, supporters being treated like scum, many supporters behaving badly and overzealous policing would be bad enough, but the added danger of unsafe venues and these disasters just kept coming in the 1980's. Prof. Phil Scraton in the Hillsborough documentary describes institutionalized complacency in football - essentially, they were using 40-50-year-old decrepit facilities by the 1980's, with no investment or priority given to safety. Add to the scarcely believable fact that this run down stadium was used for the biggest game in European football, and the combination of factors was a recipe for disaster. The best doco on Heysel imo is kzbin.info/www/bejne/amXbqqGkhb2gd6c

[@Gaffer96]

I remember every minute. Cup finals were the only live games then so we all waited to watch them..The build up on tv was great with old games shown and the analysis from Saint and Greavsie etc.. Fans fighting was part and parcel of football then and when it was being reported we didn't take alot of notice until the wall collapsed. The horrific picture of those poor people being crushed and fighting for breath will haunt me forever. RIP 39

[@ArchTeryx00]

I don't think the players, OR the fans, truly wanted to forget. The people that wanted to memory-hole the whole disaster were the OFFICIALS - especially UEFA. I'm just a yank but I follow Europoean football and IMHO there's been a corruption issue at the official level for as long as there's been organised European football leagues. None of those corrupt UEFA officials wanted to face extended scrutiny and neither did the Belgium police. The Powers That Be took the easiest course - blame the fans - and memory-holed the whole thing. That whole sorry scene was to repeated in the Hillsborough tragedy with three times the number of dead, because nobody was *allowed* to learn anything from Heysel. Upton Sinclair, muckraker and American Labour leader, was famously quoted as saying, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon him not understanding it." And so it is with UEFA and Heysel, and the horrors that followed it.

[@rafayasfi]

If you could do a video on Hillsborough that’d be good

[@kateemma22]

The English government never pushed back on the Heysel ruling that Liverpool fans were at fault because it suited them as well. Liverpool remained the scapegoat for ages afterwards and to this day saying you're a Liverpool fan always ends with someone from another English club bringing up Heysel or saying Hillsborough was just the same.

[@eadweard.]

Well they acted like demented morons tbf.

[@charlietwotimes]

People were arrested and charged with manslaughter. A dozen or so did time. Wasn't any scapegoating there. They were convicted with video evidence.

[@donnaharvey6293]

I don't understand how they could keep playing the game, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard of

[@MichaelD8393]

6:05 How can anyone think a thin chicken wire fence and 8 police officers would be enough to keep the two groups of fans separate? I would say that’s not enough but that’s and understatement at best.

[@byzyt6931]

Perhaps the fans were expected to behave like human beings?

[@MichaelD8393]

@@byzyt6931 Perhaps. But you can't expect that at a football game; passions run high during sporting events.

[@russellfitzpatrick503]

I was living in Rotterdam at the time and my neighbour's daughter had gone to the match with friends. He came round to tell my wife that, if his daughter didn't come home from the match, he'd shoot me as I was from Liverpool (and was, as a result, guilty, even if I didn't support a football club)

[@johnprosser5035]

I was 18 and was there....

[@curbyourshi1056]

You can blame infrastructure, planning, policing and whatever else. One lot of people were in fear of their loved ones and themselves being violently attacked by another lot of people who were charging at them and reacted by mostly retreating, instead of fighting, resulting in a crush. That's the root cause. No wonder it isn't spoken about in England too much.

[@insertnamehere5809]

Heysel is remembered in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 mainly for the UEFA bans from English clubs after the tragedy.

[@Aled1976]

I was 11 and I was there. I have a scar on my head from being hit by a piece of concrete an hour before the surge happened. We were being pelted with all sorts and were trying to get the attention of the police who saw it, ignored it and us until people had had enough. Coins, lighters, rocks, concrete, fireworks etc being thrown by the so called Juventus fans at the Liverpool fans in the so called neutral zone for over an hour before there was any real retaliation. I'm not condoning what happened, not one bit but what would you do in that situation? Stand there and take it? We couldn't get out, we had nowhere to go as the gates were shut so there was no escape. I saw people climb over the walls from outside the stadium and the authorities did nothing about it, any of it. There was a major issue with football hooliganism throughout Europe at that time, and it's ironic that Italy are one of the worst of the current protagonists along with Holland and France, and I really do believe that with the state of the English hooligan problem, the UK government and other appropriate authorities were determined to ban English clubs from European competitions, but naturally not to such an extent that many people would lose their lives. The majority of the so called Liverpool fans convicted were not even Liverpool fans!!!! They were well-known hooligans that followed Millwall, Leeds United, Manchester United, Chelsea, Cardiff City, West Ham United, Middlesbrough and Glasgow Rangers, the UK police and Belgian police knew it but allowed them not only to buy tickets but to travel freely to the match when previously they'd have had to surrender their passports to their nearest police station before such matches! UEFA were also well aware of them travelling over! The stadium wasn't changed despite there only being a bit of chicken wire separating the two set of fans despite the reputation of hooliganism from both countries??? Again, poor research there as well!!! It was NOT a simple case of a bunch of Liverpool fans looking for trouble, far from it. There's a hell of a lot more to it but it's been swept under the carpet since it happened.

[@GorgeDawes]

I’m fairly sure that the legal restrictions in the UK forcing known hooligans to surrender their passports before major overseas matches/tournaments were not in place at the time of this tragedy. The laws allowing for it came some time later, particularly as a result of the poor behaviour of England fans at the Euro ‘88 tournament,

[@andreaslermen2008]

Watched it in TV, it was absolute surreal, especially when they decited to start the match. It was usual at this time, that the ultras of every club arrange "meetings" to beat the shit out of each other at matchday, and that didn't was only a problem in England. Choosing this stadium and having the bare minimum of police at hand was a tragedy in making. Sure, it was the fans who started this, but it was preventable.

[@tamekkaknuth9612]

Color of inside vehicle told me. Thank you kindly

[@daphne8406]

Of course the people who have behaved violently are to blame for their own violent actions. However, in this case it feels like the whole thing could have been prevented if the organization had chosen any other venue instead. It all smacks of bribes or something because why else would they choose such an utterly unsuitable venue when two better and safer alternatives were available. In all accounts the organization failed immensely; unsuitable venue, not enough security measures, bad entrance management, bad crowd management and choosing to play the game in the field where just moments ago people died on was super tasteless.

[@RadioactiveSherbet]

Jacques' unwillingness to talk about his remorse in public really undermines the value of his remorse, IMHO.

[@stevensmith426]

So so sad. I remember watching this unfold on tv and my mum switching off. As i grew to adulthood and realised what had gone on, i was so ashamed of the so called Liverpool supporters who did this. There should be no excuses, our fans were to blame, the venue didnt cause the deaths. Itwas completely the fault of a section of our fans, encapsulated by the sick individuals who had a 'Munich 58' banner to mock the deaths of the 'Busby babes'. People died ffs, its a game of football, peoples lives transcend football rivalries and the death of any person at an event that suppoedly is for leisure, is a tragedy. To mock such suffering is beyond the pale. To add insult to injury the sentences handed to the few culprits that were tried, were a joke. May those 39 juventus supporters rest in peace.

[@byzyt6931]

As an American, I must say I've never understood why Europeans and South Americans are so passionate about soccer. Here, we watch it only if our children are playing it.

[@MakerInMotion]

It's like lacrosse or field hockey. Good for a scholarship and that's about it.

[@dfuher968]

Well, we Europeans have never understood ur passion for American Football (as we call it) or baseball. But as for the violence, sadly its been misused, and by some subsections still is misused, as an excuse for violence. All countries have some of them, but none to the degree or in the numbers of the English. I was 12 in 1985 and watched it on tv, until my dad realised, how bad it was, and he shut it off. We always knew to stay away from the English, They were like a swarm of locust descending on any city, their teams played in, ravaging and destroying everything in their path and randomly assaulting especially any fans wearing another jersey, if they were unlucky enough to run into the English. Tho enforcement has become a lot harsher, and a lot of English hooligans actually has been banned from entering most of the countries in Europe, once they have been arrested for serious assaults, vandalism etc, it is still a problem. At the World Cup in France an English hooligan murdered a random fan from another country, and several other English "fans" violently assaulted others randomly over several days, some with serious injuries, and got to spend a long time in French prisons b4 being sent back to Old Blighty with a ban on entering France and the rest of our countries ever again. And their overall behavior at the latest EUROs was so atrocious, especially at their own games in England, that at the finals all of Europe was cheering for Italy, even those, who didnt even watch football and mostly didnt even know, who England was playing. I have never understood, why they do it. The Irish on the other hand are well loved all over Europe, they are the best fans, always cheerful, always helpful towards any1. The contrast in France at the World Cup was huge, again the English fans were in the spotlight for their violent behavior, while video after video came out of the Irish fans (named the best fans of the World Cup) singing a lullaby to a baby in the metro, changing the tire for a random guy in Paris, helping a woman, who couldnt get past a huge crowd of football fans, by carrying her and her bike across the top of the crowd and gently setting her on the other side.

[@williamharris8367]

We Canadians normally limit our rioting to the Stanley Cup (Hockey) championships -- though only Vancouver and Edmonton have had very significant events. Even then, it is more looting and property damage than interpersonal violence.

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

@byzyt6931 It hasn't occurred to you that the US of A are the outliers in this regard? You might not understand the interest, but football is a global sport, whereas American football and baseball are anything but. That's not meant as a criticism - people are free to enjoy whatever sport they want, but let's not pretend that the other 210 FIFA affiliated countries are the odd ones out. (211 FIFA affiliated countries including the USA)

[@byzyt6931]

​@@ianmacfarlane1241 Yes, of course it has occurred to me. We are absolutely the outliers! Most of the world goes ape over football/soccer, and I'm in one of the few countries that doesn't get excited about it at all, so I've never really understood the wild passion and emotion about it. It's kind of an interesting cultural/sociological phenomenon that Americans are generally indifferent to this particular sport that is so popular around the world.

[@wesrrowlands8309]

It's idiotic that sports associations even allow this to go on, they should be threatening to end seasons over behavior like this. Nothing brings out the worst in humanity around the world than sports.

[@Bunkerdwarfputin]

RELIGION brings out the worst in humanity. No comparison; nothing else comes even close. EVERY WAR that has happened since the beginning of mankind started because of religion.

[@DarkSitesChannel]

Unsafe ground, official indifference to an unsafe ground, a few idiots and poor policing. A lethal combination in any venue.

[@mikeheap7978]

14 Liverpool supporters got convicted on manslaughter and imprisoned. Don't let the British media convince you it was an accident or nobody was to blame. The courts ruled on the River of the Liverpool fans and justice was served.

[@steve-kl9iv]

Involuntary manslaughter, which means it wasn't intentional. Also the Belgian authorities were successfully prosecuted too. So even the courts said it wasn't just the fault of the fans. Funny how no juventus fans were prosecuted, even though they rioted for an hour, assaulted people and one had a gun

[@polishadamtv]

Sir why r u showing people picture of Riots from Euro 2016 in Marseille?

[@channelwithstuffandthings2809]

Mr eye, you need to do a video on the goiana disaster in brazil

[@johneeeemarry34]

His oriental buddy, Mr japs eye shot some footage for an upload.

[@thedrinkinggames9573]

What was the other football crush that happened around that time? (The 80's?) When a bunch of people got crushed just going into the stadium? I believe that it was in Britain, but I don't remember. I remember the news footage though, that i will never forget.

[@katherinenunn6326]

The Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, England in 1989: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_disaster

[@tabbitee]

I've got no words for this one. Here's an algorithm-boost comment.

[@Nick_J_]

All this, for soccer… wild

[@jcngokai-76]

In retrospect, there were PLENTY OF BLAMES GOING AROUND for all parties involved, from fans of both sides to UEFA’s stubbornness in refusing to change the venue much sooner.

[@pietweety7020]

I’m not getting your notifications even though I have them switched on, strange.

[@angietunstall2555]

Have you done the Bradford Park Avenue disaster where a fire ripped through one of the stands? And the Hampden Park Diasaster when 66 football fans were trampled to death. Zeebrugge when the ferry's bow doors were left open and the sea poured into the Herald of Free Enterprise, causing it to turn on its side? The Moorgate London Underground Disaster, and the separate Kings Cross Disaster. The Aberfan Pant Glas school Disaster of 1965. And all these just in my lifetime 😢

[@user-bt9po4kz1b]

Wrong Bradford ground. It is worth remembering that fans labelled yobs by the police actually acted with extreme bravery by entering the fire to save fellow supporters

[@Alext165]

If the Liverpool fans hadn’t charged none of this would have happened. It was the surging Liverpool thugs who caused the The disaster at Hillsborough, they turned up without tickets that day and they surged, like they did in Belgium

[@steve-kl9iv]

Hark at "brains" 😂

[@truhhhhhhhokIII3]

Of course soccer watchers are so mad, it takes a few leap years for anyone to score, they were so bored they just wanted some action

[@riveness]

Platini celebrating the deaths is what that image denotes.

[@charliekezza]

It sounds calous playing the game after but it means the whole crowd is not going to be trying to leave and stop the ambulances from getting in and to the people that need help and get them back out again

[@stephanevdv]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the general public in Belgium (i'm not including the football fans, I don't know about them, I never was one) at the time was totally unaware of the "hooligan" phenomenon at british football matches. For me at that time, "hooligan" was the term used by the Soviet Union to stigmatize some of their opponents... This whole mess came out of the blue for us.

[@steve-kl9iv]

There had been hooliganism all over Europe for years before Heysel. Even in Belgium.

[@Youcanttouchmyhandle]

11:53 Abuse of power. Training: If you hold public servant position you have a duty of care for lives , at all times you need to amplify by example respect and dignity

[@ACME_Kinetics]

I hope the Philadelphia Eagles never get a big win. #yepabsolutelyagain

[@brianrunyon266]

First heard of this via a BBC audio program which covered events from the 1980's. Glad this video sheds more light on it. American, and, not all that familiar with soccer, as we call it here.