List of Violent Spectator Incidents in Sports - 1985

1985

• January 5 – In an FA Cup fifth-round match between Leicester City and Burton Albion, drunk City fans threw beer cups from the terraces, one of which knocked Albion's goalkeeper unconscious and left him having to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher. With no substitutes left for Albion, City easily won 6–1; however, The English FA declared the match null and void, and ordered a replay at a neutral venue behind closed doors. After only agreeing to play by the casting vote of their manager, City won the replay 1–0 on January 16 at Coventry's Highfield Road.
• March 23 - Before a Hibernian versus Aberdeen match, the Capital City Service and the Aberdeen Soccer Casuals clashed on Easter Road resulting in one Hibs boy being seriously assaulted and taken to hospital in a comatose state. At halftime, it was rumoured he had died, and the atmosphere at the game quickly soured. During the second half Aberdeen fans and players were subject to a barrage of missiles such as bottles, stones, coins, iron bolts and golf balls; Aberdeen goalkeeper Jim Leighton was hit on the neck with an iron bolt, team mate Alex McLeish was struck by a coin and a linesman was hit on the head with a lump of concrete, leading the referee to stop the match until order was restored. He was quoted as saying the scenes in the ground were "the worst I've ever witnessed".
• May 4 – During a VFL reserves match at Princes Park between Collingwood and the Sydney Swans, Collingwood full-back John Bourke kicked Swans ruckman Patrick Foy in the groin in reaction to Foy tagging him throughout the game. When field umpire Phil Waight went to report Burke for the incident, Bourke pushed and kicked Waight, struck the Collingwood runner, and ran into the stands to assault a Swans fan who Bourke claimed had taunted him. Bourke was suspended for ten years plus 16 games and fined $2,000.

• May 29 – Heysel Stadium disaster: A major brawl erupted before the European Cup Final between Liverpool F.C. and Juventus F.C.; 39 fans died (34 Italian) and 600 were injured after being smashed against the security wall before the start of the match. Despite this, the match was played. English teams were banned from playing in continental competitions for five years and Liverpool were banned for 10 years. Other British teams i.e. those from Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland were not banned.