Hi, need to submit a 3250 words essay on the topic The Heysel Disaster: Safety & Crowd Management.
The Heysel disaster can be attributed to several factors. Some of the causes originated from the fans while others were as a result of failures by the managers of the match. Before the match, there were signs which indicated that the outcome may be disastrous. As fans and the players prepared themselves for the match, a friendly match was played between youngsters from Belgium who wore attire with colors resembling those of the Liverpool team and another team of young players who wore white which was the color of the Italian team. Tension was high as the two teams played. It seemed as if the two teams were a true representation of the main contestants, and their scores were assumed by the fans to indicate the outcome of the Heysel match, with Liverpool fans boasting the Belgium team lead of 3-0 in the first half of the junior friendly match. Tempers rose when the team that wore white which resembled that of the Juventus scored. Exchange of abusive words began between the two groups of fans and the junior friendly match was stopped before the match came to an end. However, this was just a sign of the rising tempers amongst the fans (Kirkby Times News 2005). .Liverpool fans were stationed at the stand which was behind one of the goals while the neutrals were to be positioned at the end section of the stand. Initially, this space allocation was not welcome on the side of Liverpool. However, UEFA did not consider their objections and they ended up taking up the position.
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