Disaster
The neutral zone that had been allocated to Belgian fans was largely occupied by Juventus supporters, many of whom were from the local Italian community. The neutral zone was in section Z, on the same side of the ground as the Liverpool fans. The two groups thus stood yards apart, separated only by chicken wire. At approximately 7 p.m., missiles began to be thrown between the two sets of fans; because the stadium was crumbling, fans could pick stones up and throw them across the divide.
The throwing became more intense as kick-off approached. Moments later, a group of Liverpool fans charged into section Z, causing the fans there to retreat. As they had nowhere to go, they moved towards the side perimeter wall. As more people moved up against the wall, it collapsed, which resulted in 39 deaths and injuries to 600 people. At the other end of the ground, Juventus fans began to riot in retaliation for the events in section Z. They advanced down the pitch towards the Liverpool fans and were stopped by the police. The resulting confrontation lasted two hours and was still ongoing when the match kicked-off.
Read more about this topic: 1985 European Cup Final
Famous quotes containing the word disaster:
“It was so long since I’d seen masses of young men that I’d forgotten how much pleasanter men of between twenty and thirty were to be around with than older men. It isnt so true of women. When I was in my twenties I thought the grown adults I ran into were a disaster and now I know I was right.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)
“When disaster waves, I try not to wave back.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)