THE HEYSEL TRAGEDY

It was the tragedy that would change football forever and shake sports fans everywhere. The Heysel Stadium disaster of 29 May 1985 left 39 people dead and 600 injured, crushed against a wall after several charges by English hooligans caused panic among spectators waiting for the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. Jan Verheyen directs a six-part documentary series that includes interviews with an Italian who lost his father and grandfather, a repentant former English hooligan and witnesses who describe the poor security and facilities at the ground. Three years later, the Heysel trial began in Brussels in front of the world’s press. It was soon to be dominated by the question of who, if anyone, was to blame, as is this series. “Who is responsible when there are hundreds of people behaving wildly?” asks series producer Genevieve Lemal. “How can 26 people be responsible for hundreds of people being wounded?”