Heysel Stadium Disaster in 1985 was one of the saddest incident scarred in the history of football. The Heysel Stadium Disaster took place on May 29, 1985, during the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus in Brussels, Belgium. It occurred with a crush of football (soccer) fans causing 39 deaths and approximately 600 injuries.
Heysel Stadium Disaster: What exactly happened
Despite being Belgium’s national stadium, Heysel Stadium was in poor condition during the 1985 European Final. The 55-year-old stadium had not received proper maintenance for several years, and many parts of it were falling apart. Fans without tickets were observed kicking holes in the outer wall, which was made of cinder blocks, to gain entry. Certain sections of the stadium had only one turnstile, and some attending fans claimed that security personnel did not search them or ask for their tickets.(source)
Around 7:00 p.m. local time, just an hour before the match was set to begin, trouble started. Liverpool and Juventus fans in Sections X and Z were very close to each other, separated only by temporary chain link fencing and a lightly guarded area in the middle. Some troublemakers started throwing flares, bottles, and stones across the divide, even grabbing stones from the crumbling terraces below.
As kickoff drew near, the throwing got worse. Liverpool fans clashed with Juventus fans, breaking through the boundary between Sections X and Z and overpowering police officers there. Juventus fans started running away, heading towards the concrete wall at the edge of Section Z. The pressure became too much, causing the lower part of the wall to collapse and trap fans beneath it as it fell, crushing them. Some fans managed to climb over to safety, but many others were hurt or killed.
In response to what happened in Section Z, many Juventus fans rioted in their part of the stadium. They moved down the stadium track to help other Juventus supporters, but police stopped them. A large group of Juventus fans fought with the police for two hours, throwing rocks, bottles, and stones.
The game was played despite the pre-match incidents by authorities and organizers’ joint decision for public policy doctrine reasons after a state of emergency was declared in the city, with Juventus winning 1–0. (source)
Heysel Stadium Disaster: What happened After
Just days after the Heysel Stadium Disaster, on June 2, 1985, UEFA imposed a ban on English clubs from participating in European competitions for an indefinite period. FIFA extended this ban worldwide, although they allowed friendly matches to be played. Additionally, the Belgian government prohibited English clubs from playing any club matches in the country.
April 1990 marked the return of English teams to European competition, but Liverpool faced an extra year of suspension. The Reds had originally been banned for three years longer than other English clubs, so this was seen as a small win for them. During the ban, England lost all their points in the UEFA coefficient rankings. It wasn’t until 2008 that they regained their leading position in that ranking.