On May 29, 1985, 39 supporters died in the greatest catastrophe in our football. A drama that just couldn’t have happened, but due to a poisonous cocktail of rooster behaviour, fear and substandard stadium regulations, took place at the Heysel. Sports journalist Frank Raes goes in search of the causes in Heysel 1985.
The final of the European Cup 1 was won in 1985 by Juventus against Liverpool with 1-0. A penalty by Michel Platini made the difference. That’s how you find it on the internet, and in the lists of winners on Wikipedia you won’t read anything about the following.
Before kick-off, panic broke out in the neutral Z supporters section, where Juve supporters were also seated against the rules. Liverpool fans angered them, many tried to flee and the fans trampled each other in the chaos. A wall collapsed and 39 people were killed.
And yet the game was played.
“Of course it also has to be framed”
“It was high time that the Heysel drama was properly interpreted. And also that we could hear how those involved now look at it themselves,” says Frank Raes.
Raes (68) experienced the catastrophe himself as a journalist for the VRT. “I walked down from the press gallery when it had already happened. All in seven minutes. All that was left in the stands were handbags and shoes. I saw the bodies downstairs.”
The English who confess guilt in a certain way, that’s what I remember most.
37 years later, the sports journalist has obviously not forgotten the events. And neither do the fans on both sides. In the series, Raes visits fans of Juventus and then Liverpool in three episodes, and in the final episode the story is told from a Belgian perspective.
“The English who confess guilt in a certain way, that’s what I remember the most,” says Raes.
“But of course it has to be framed: Liverpool is a fairly left-wing city and was – certainly then – also a poor city. The unemployment rate in some neighborhoods was almost 100%. You can’t imagine that. Liverpool is not a club with hooligans either. , but the fans have allowed themselves – also under the influence of alcohol – to be rushed by the panic in block Z.”
“The series also needs a narrative logic”
Raes worked for months on a good story structure together with the editors of Canvas. “The story must be told, it must be easy to follow.”
“That also means that we had to select. For example, I interviewed a photographer who was standing with his device right in front of the disaster. Very strong images. But we had to cut that. Kill your darlings, but I didn’t bother with that, because it drives me a little crazy. The director has done an excellent job in that.”
But even without a photographer the story comes true. With testimonials from already convicted English supporters and Italian (ex-) hotheads.
“Convincing those people was anything but easy. Some eventually also withdrew. But we succeeded, with a strong series as a result.”
Why should you watch?
“Because everything changed after the Heysel drama. Then they didn’t know who was in the stadium and you could buy 100 tickets, so to speak, without leaving any data. Now that is of course regulated. But good too.”
“And also to feed the collective memory. It has been 37 years now. For most it is now a vague memory, but the series makes it a bit more concrete.”
The first episode of ‘Heizel 1985’ can be viewed from Friday on VRT MAX and will be broadcast on Canvas at 9.20 pm.
