The 29th of May 1985 was supposed to be a day of celebration for Juventus, as Michel Platini and company secured the club’s first European Cup (which later became known as the Champions League) at the expense of Liverpool.
Nonetheless, fate had a much crueler plan, as that day be will forever be remembered as the Heysel disaster, with 39 persons – mostly Italian fans – losing their lives inside the stadium.
Almost one hour before the kickoff, some crowd trouble between the sets of fans resulted in the collapse of a wall within the stadium, resulting in the tragic death of 39 Juventus fans, including women and children.
Shockingly, the organizers still gave the go-ahead for the match, and even though the players didn’t know what exactly happened before their arrival, they surely sensed that something had gone terribly wrong.
36 years after the events of Heysel, Juve’s official website delivered a statement saying that the memory will forever be alive.
Here’s the full statement:
“Years pass, but the memory still hurts.
Since the year 1985, May 29th represents a day of silence and commemoration. The day we all come together to remember a shocking moment that transformed what should have been an evening of celebration, waiting for an unforgettable 90 minutes, into a nightmare that remains engraved in history.
Usually there are emotions of joy and enthusiasm that usually precede a great match like the one that was about to begin at the Heysel stadium, but instead that evening gave way to emotions of fear and pain.
The 29th May 1985 is a tragedy that continues to hurt even after 36 years. Today, just as then, and as every time we pronounce the word “Heysel”, our thoughts go to all the victims and their families of that unthinkable evening.
The memory remains alive within us all.”
