BRUSSELS, Belgium - The 20th anniversary of the Heysel Stadium tragedy was marked Sunday by the unveiling of a statue complete with 39 lights to commemorate the number of deaths in European soccer's worst episode of violence.



"It is this day that the most terrible page of soccer history was written," said Brussels Mayor Freddy Thielemans, who attended the ceremony along with the mayors of Turin and Liverpool and hundreds of fans.

Thirty-nine people — 33 fans from Juventus and six others — died when rioting instigated by Liverpool fans broke out at the stadium before the 1985 Champions League final.

Thielemans unveiled the more than 36-foot statue. A stainless steel pillar rises from white marble and W.H. Auden's poem, "Funeral Blues", is etched on 39 remembrance stones. As the names of the victims were read, hundreds of Juventus fans from several countries applauded.

"I'm very moved, I came here to remember. Even with this monument, we cannot forget," Juventus fan Silvo Gaggimi said.

Liverpool fan Dean Stanley was among the Juventus crowd.

"Feeling very ashamed, that's why I am here today," he said.

The remembrance came four days after Liverpool again reached the pinnacle of European soccer, beating Italy's AC Milan in the Champions League final.

After the Heysel disaster, the stadium was torn down and replaced with King Baudouin Stadium. Sunday's ceremony took place close to where most of the victims died.

Apart from the dead, more than 400 people were injured when Liverpool fans stampeded into a grandstand filled mostly with Juventus fans. The victims, trying to flee the violence, were crushed to death.

Police security was found to be lacking, and the stadium was so decrepit hooligans managed to knock down a flimsy fence and attack opposing fans with chunks of concrete torn from the stands


WORST edit
[Edited 6/7/05 5:50am]

Mach said:

terrible

i know i shouldn't but there a pic i really want to post

I remember when it happened even though I was only 8 years old. It wasn't til the next day at school I found out how bad it really was.

senik said:

hey baby i did not write this at all...its from ya-hoo news

I remember that the two teams met a couple of months ago for their first match together since the tragedy. I am glad to say the event was marked with respect and an absence of violence.


Fortunately, for the most part this kind of hostility between fans is much rarer than it was when I was a lad in the late 70's/ early 80's.

senik said:

Well the author of that piece has a very insensitive title

Firstly, I commend you for bringing up this topic, as the ones that perished during this truely horrific tragedy should never be forgotten

I just feel uncomfortable with the title, chiefly with the word "Worst".

Secondly, I'd like to state that in NO WAY am I comparing tragedies here, because that is completely wrong and feel the sadness being a Liverpool fan, but people shouldn't "rank" these horrid fottballing disasters.

I wonder if the author has ever heard of Hillsborough (1989), where 96 fans got crushed to death. Or the Valley Parade stadium fire at Bradford (in the same year as Heysel), in which 56 fans died of burns. Or the Ibronx disaster in the early 70's, where 60 odd people lost their lives

Each should be remembered and learned from, so as to avoid such sporting catastrophes again.

May the dear Lord look after all the souls that departed and bring peace to the familes, and all others, affected by such events

senik said:

i took out the "worst" ...

Mach said:

You didn't have to do that, Mach I was purely commenting on the author of the article.

Thank you anyway