Remembering the 39 who died at Heysel

Liverpool v Juventus: In Memory and Friendship by Ben Sutherland, on Flickr

TODAY marks the 30th anniversary of the deaths of 39 football supporters on May 29th 1985 at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium at the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool.

32 of the victims were Italian, four were Belgian, two were French and another was from Northern Ireland. The youngest to die was just 11 years old. Over 600 were injured.

This awful tragedy should never have happened and everyone involved in football  – fans, clubs, authorities – should do all they can to ensure nothing like it ever happens again, anywhere in the world.

Services are being held today in Liverpool and Turin. Phil Neal, Liverpool’s captain on the day of the disaster, will lay a wreath at the service being held at Anfield, which will be attended by other members of Liverpool’s squad at the time. Ian Rush, who played for both clubs and is currently an official LFC Ambassador, will attend the service in Turin.

Today is a day of sorrow and remembrance.

In Memoria e Amicizia – In Memory and Friendship

Rocco Acerra
Bruno Balli
Alfons Bos
Giancarlo Bruschera
Andrea Casula
Giovanni Casula
Nino Cerullo
Willy Chielens
Giuseppina Conti
Dirk Daenecky
Dionisio Fabbro
Jacques François
Eugenio Gagliano
Francesco Galli
Giancarlo Gonnelli
Alberto Guarini
Giovacchino Landini
Roberto Lorentini
Barbara Lusci
Franco Martelli
Loris Messore
Gianni Mastrolaco
Sergio Bastino Mazzino
Luciano Rocco Papaluca
Luigi Pidone
Bento Pistolato
Patrick Radcliffe
Domenico Ragazzi
Antonio Ragnanese
Claude Robert
Mario Ronchi
Domenico Russo
Tarcisio Salvi
Gianfranco Sarto
Giuseppe Spalaore
Mario Spanu
Tarcisio Venturin
Jean Michel Walla
Claudio Zavaroni

May they rest in peace.

heysel-plaque-anfield