Heysel Stadium Disaster

The time when English teams were banned from playing in the Champions League

On June the 2nd, 1985, UEFA banned English teams from competing in Europe. The ban followed the Heysel Stadium disaster in Brussels just four days prior on the night of the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool.

An hour before kick-off, a bunch of drunk Liverpool fans barged through the wall separating the two sets of supporters and attacked the Juventus fans, who attempted to retreat, and as a result of the roughhouse, the wall behind them collapsed. About 600 people were injured due to this, 39 of whom succumbed to their injuries. 32 of those people were Juventus fans, while the other 7 were bystanders.

Subsequently, UEFA slapped a ban on English teams, barring them from playing in Europe. At first, the ban was indefinite, but it ended up lasting 5 years, except for Liverpool, who had to serve a 6-year ban, because of the handful of supporters’ actions that night in Brussels.

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