Good article, HD. I never understood how the match could take place after the deaths, whether or not the clubs knew the extent of the tragedy, somebody with authority at the stadium had to have known what transpired and should have pulled the plug...imagine a similar situation taking place at an NFL or MLB playoff game and then continuing to play the game...tragic.
Great work. Hillsbrough, now there, finally and unfortunately, did the English come to their senses. Italy, as others, would be well served to follow in order.
Great first hand account. I am currently reading Fever Pitch and last night I just happened to come upon the chapters that talked about the match. What a horrible event. I have a sister-in-law that is from London and still has family there. I have been kicking around the idea of going on an EPL vacation - the attitude that I am gathering from the book, and comments on boards like this, seems to be that these stories of hooliganism are historical? Is there no longer the problems of the 70s and 80s?
The problems you are reading about in "Fever Pitch" and in HatterDon's story do NOT often very often these days. There are still hooligans out there, but laws put in place after the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters have created safer stadiums for fans. One example is that stadiums must now be all-seaters. The things you read in Fever Pitch from Nick Hornby jamming into the end of the stadium and standing would NOT happen now. All stadiums in England must be seated. It was and still is a point of contention for some supporters from clubs all over the country. But for the most part, you would be safe in most all Premiership stadiums. Now, if you have a big mouth and enjoy getting yourself into sticky situations, that is another issue. As for hooliganism, it is still rampant in places like Poland, Italy and other European countries like Serbia, Croatia, etc. The governments in each of these countries need to do a better job of fighting back against the hooligans. In the case of Poland, hooliganism is ruining the domestic league. Children are afraid to go to matches, thus they lose interest in the sport and the country has trouble putting together decent teams. Poland has a corrupt soccer federation, the PZPN, and things need to get sorted in a hurry or it could get bad down the road.
Jensers, there are still "firms" about that can cause havoc in city centers and raise hell around and occasionally inside stadia, but these are not as widespread as they were. I'd avoid matches with the following VISITING teams: Cardiff, Stoke City, Millwall, Leeds -- folks on the right side of the water can add to this list. The good news is that all-seater stadia and electronic monitoring devices in Britain have identified and isolated troublemakers. A few years ago, for instance, a Celtic fan at a match with Rangers was taunting Claudio Reyna with chants of "9-11" and imitating an airplane flying into a building. Within a day or so, Celtic staff were able to identify him from film, cancel his season ticket and ban him from all future matches. The bad news is that all the renovating have sent ticket prices sky high -- which is one reason why a lot of Northern teams -- where there's still a lot of chronic un- and under-employment -- have difficulty drawing crowds.
When I went this December I was under the assumption that nothing happens anymore, all in the past. That was perhaps a little naive and proved incorrect as less the 15 hours after getting off the plane I was witness to something which if nothing else can't be described as nothing. At both the away games I went to, Charlton and Chelsea, some of the Fulham fans were hassled. In both cases there was some brief shouting, pushing, and trading of obcenaties, and in some cases some real punches being thrown. At the Bridge there were police everywhere so things weren't likely to get out of hand, at Charlton the incident was far away from the stadium and there wasn't a copper in sight which was a little scary. Everything happened outside the ground and at the pub after the game. The sheer police presence makes it near impossible for anything to happen in the ground, but as I found out there is real reason for a human chain of police to separate the two sets of supporters during the match, its intense, tempers run high, people have A LOT of alcohol in them, and if nothing else obcenaties are constant in the away end so one may think twice about bringing say a five year old on the road. That said the game at the Cottage against Watford was very calm, much to calm in fact, and there was not a sign of conflict in sight. I got the impression that what I saw was against the norm, but even if it weren't it shouldn't deter you from going, most of it is just posturing. It adds excitement and atmosphere, distinguishes it from going to an American sporting event.
I dont know that it would keep me from going - I was just curious about the state of things now. I think I probably will go - maybe next season. Book a cheap flight and catch as many games as I can in a long weekend. The main thing would be to avoid doing something stupid because I have no idea where I was or what I should be avoiding. Anyway - sorry to take away from the thread. The article was a good read.
Hi Nevzter, I remember the Heysel match and the violence before the game. I remember the appeals for calm over the tanoy and the seemingly endless delays and I remember the horror I felt at what I witnessed - I was 11 at the time and so my memory could well be distorted, but, the game went on because it was the carrot the led the fans to calm down. If the game had been abandoned it would have kicked off even more. I remember watching the match and not caring about the game, until I read Don's article I could not remember the score, but I knew Liverpool lost. All in all, I believe it was the right decision to play the game because I think it saved lives. The lasting legacy of Heysel and the fans who lost their lives that night was a slow change in the way football fan behave in the UK, it forced the game the re-evaluate itself, a heavy price for a game once described as not being life or death, but more than that. On a more positive note - Jensers, definatly do go, it is well worth it. Games in the Premier League are well policed, transport from stations etc. are marshelled well, the biggest risk is finding a back street pub full of opposition supporter - but more often than not it will result in lighthearted banter or a sign with "No away support". It has been a long time since I have felt uncomfortable following Fulham.
RE: Re: The Day the Music Died Thanks for the perspective, GaryBarnettFanClub. Jensers, may I add that you don't have to attend EPL matches to have a great time as even Championship grounds around London such as Selhurst Park (Palace! Palace! Palace!), and Fulham's former temp grounds, Loftus Road (well, I remember Shepards Bush can be dodgy at times, somebody please correct me on its current status), can provide a great experience after you visit Craven Cottage. Generally, you won't have to fear for your safety at all, and besides, on your first visit you'll be too enthralled in soaking in the incredibly unique sporting atmosphere of English footie to realize much else going on around you. Cheers and have a great trip.
RE: Re: The Day the Music Died HD your account of the tragic events of Heysel seem to be quite accurate and unbiased. It was a terrible day in football and a terrible day for the families, friends and supporters affected by the tragedy. In the match played between Liverpool and Juventus in 2005 CL draw seemed a bit on edge. Honoring those passed and the "Amicizia" and "Friendship" banners were not accepted by many supporters of Juventus showing that the wounds still run deep. Time heals, but sometimes it takes longer than expected. I am a Liverpool supporter and their are strong feelings about each tragedy that blackens Liverpool's illustrious history. The injustice written by that rag of a newspaper in the aftermath of Hillsborough and justice never fully being delivered is still being fought by many Red supporters today. Wounds continue to heal and hopefully fans will learn from these tragedies and act accordingly at matches. Top draw article HD...
