Tributes to Heysel fans 27 years on

Published Tuesday, 29 May 2012
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Liverpool and Juventus are marking the 27th anniversary of the Heysel Stadium disaster, in which 39 football fans - including one man from Northern Ireland - were killed ahead of the 1985 European Cup final in Belgium.

Tributes to Heysel fans 27 years on
A memorial marking the date of the Heysel disaster in Belgium. (© Getty)

Lives were lost and hundreds more were injured in the crush when a section of the stands collapsed, amid crowd trouble before the match kicked off.

As well as Patrick Radcliffe from Northern Ireland - who was understood to have been working in the Belgian capital, Brussels, at the time - 32 Italians, four Belgians, and two men from France also lost their lives.

Liverpool Football Club today remembers the 39 football fans who died when a wall collapsed at the Heysel Stadium in Belgium on this day 27 years ago.

LFC

"What should have been one of the greatest nights in the club's history turned into a nightmare," a statement on Liverpool's official website said.

The club's managing director Ian Ayre laid a floral tribute at the foot of the Heysel Memorial Plaque in the Centenary Stand on Tuesday morning, in memory of the victims.

A statement from Juventus spoke out strongly against the "English hooligans who caused an absurdly violent uproar against the Italian supporters".

It added: "It was a crazy night which swept away a joyful event to celebrate football and claimed 39 innocent victims ... Every year on 29 May, we've been living this commemoration day with deep grief and sorrow."

As a result of the tragedy, UEFA banned all English clubs from European competitions for five years.

© UTV News
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