"Years go by, but the memory continues to hurt."
Juventus thus remembers, on its website, the tragedy of Heysel on its 36th anniversary
. "Since 1985, May 29 represents the day of silence and commemoration - observes the club -. The day when we all huddle together to remember an absurd moment that transformed an evening of celebration, waiting for an unforgettable 90 minutes, into a nightmare that remains engraved in history. They are emotions of joy and enthusiasm, those that usually precede a great match like the one that was about to begin at the Heysel stadium, but that that evening gave way to fear first, then pain. May 1985 is a tragedy that continues to hurt even after thirty-six years: today, as then, and as every time we pronounce the word 'Heysel', our thoughts go out to all the victims of that meaningless evening, and to their families.Because the memory is always alive within us all ".
May 29, 1985 was the darkest night in world football, that of
the Heysel tragedy
.
The
Juventus fans - 32 were Italians - who went to Brussels with the hope of celebrating the first Juventus Champions Cup
found a horrible death in sector Z of the stadium, overwhelmed by the fury of drunk English hooligans, crushed against the balustrades or fallen from the bleachers. before the Juve-Liverpool final began.
Dead, however, also due to the inadequacy of the Heysel and the security and public order services.
Look at the photos
The Heysel massacre: the Cup between tragedy and pain
A memory still terrible today for the relatives of the victims, for the survivors, for those who had followed the charges of the hooligans, the chaos and desperation of the fans who were seeking escape from the other sectors of Heysel or on TV.
A 'cursed cup' that Juve had chased for 30 years, already escaped twice, in '73 in Belgrade
, ten years later in Athens. A trophy that today many protagonists of the time do not feel like a conquered trophy, remembering that in practice they were forced to play. But there are also Juventus fans who, on the contrary, consider it a prize in memory of the 39 victims, lined up in the rooms of the stadium while the most surreal match in the history of European football was consumed on the pitch, won by Juventus with a penalty kick. by Platini. A game played with a whole segment of Heysel, with no more fans, cordoned off in front of the rubble and the things lost by the fans in the crowd.
"We didn't know what had really happened, we had heard of one death, maybe two, but we couldn't imagine such a great tragedy", the Juventus players would later say.
The new European champions had celebrated under the Heysel curve immediately after the 90 ', but the next day, on their return to Turin, when the news about the tragedy had become official
and clear in their drama, any trace of joy had disappeared. from their faces. Sergio Brio, climbing down the plane's ladder, clutched the Cup, but without exulting.
At the Heysel, the Juventus club had handed
the official note
to Uefa delegate
Gunther Schneider
explaining why he had said yes to the request to play anyway: "Juve disciplinedly accepted, even if with a soul full of anguish, the decision of UEFA, communicated to our president, to play the game for reasons of public order ". The president of the time,
Giampiero Boniperti,
never wanted to talk about that painful final. Not even for the current top Juventus manager, Andrea Agnelli, is it easy to return to the subject: "I have always had a hard time feeling that Cup mine - he said on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Heysel - even if the players have always told me that it was real match ". And
Marco Tardelli,
in an interview with Rai, a few years ago he explained and apologized: "It was impossible to refuse to play, but we didn't have to go to celebrate, we did and I sincerely apologize".
Heysel, a day of remembrance.https: //t.co/FfsNdvz3bd pic.twitter.com/3urZ7ioKRC
- JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 28, 2021
"Many years have passed since May 29, 1985, when 39 people lost their lives in the Heysel massacre, 32 of whom were our compatriots, with hundreds of injuries. The memory is strong, as are the wounds".
Thus, on social media,
the mayor of Turin Chiara Appendino
remembers the tragedy.
"The City of Turin remembers the victims and clings to their families", adds the first citizen.