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3d ago

Survivors and Officials Reflect on Trauma and Safety Reforms as Heysel Disaster Turns 40

Survivors’ accounts reveal profound psychological trauma that propelled Europe’s most stringent stadium safety overhaul.

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Des agents de sécurité séparent les groupes de supporters rivaux de Manchester United et de Lyon lors du match retour des quarts-de-finale de la Ligue Europa au stade de Old Trafford à Manchester le 17 avril 2025.
Des policiers et des secouristes devant les tribunes du stade du Heysel où un mouvement de foule a fait 39 morts et plus de 500 blessés lors de la finale de la Coupe des clubs champions à Bruxelles le 29 mai 1985.

Overview

  • Sergio Ninotti ended a 40-year silence with vivid recollections of the life-threatening crush and lasting emotional scars from the May 29, 1985 tragedy.
  • Former Brussels police deputy Roland Vanreusel recounts the chaos of overwhelmed security forces and defends playing the match as a means to prevent greater loss of life.
  • Post-disaster investigations exposed fragmented command between the police and gendarmerie and inadequate barriers that allowed rival fans to clash.
  • UEFA’s response in 1990 eliminated standing terraces, mandated assigned seating with compartmentalized blocks, and shifted primary security responsibility to clubs.
  • The original Heysel site now hosts the renovated King Baudouin Stadium, but plans for a modern national arena to address capacity and comfort remain stalled.