On April 15, 1989, 96 people lost their lives in a stampede at Hillsborough Stadium

This Saturday, April 15, 1989, in Sheffield, was to be a day of passion as England loves it. At Hillsborough Stadium, Liverpool Football Club faced Nottingham Forrest in the semi-final of the national "Cup". At 3 p.m. kick-off. Fans of both teams roar with joy. The local authorities are not calm. The supporters of the "Reds" of "Liv'pool" then drag the worst reputation in football. The drama of Heysel was them. In 1985, Anfield hooligans stormed against the tifosi of Juventus of Turin, during the final of the Champions Clubs Cup, in Brussels. The crowd movement left 39 dead, more than 600 injured, and exposed the plague running through the spans of European football stadiums.

Four years later, the club has cleaned up but the Yorkshire police believe they see a pack of drunken brutes arriving. In reality, it is about lambda supporters, sober, in family for some, and impatient. Several buses, stuck in traffic jams, arrive at Hillsborough a few minutes after the start of the match. The stewards try to control this sudden flood, then panic and open the floodgates. The supporters rush into a corridor leading to the lower stand, devoid of seats. We no longer check places, we no longer count entries. The grandstand is quickly full, the first rows are pressed against the railings. Trampled, suffocated, 94 people lost their lives. Four days later, 14-year-old Lee Nicol succumbed to his injuries. Tony Bland, after four years in a vegetative state, will be the 96th victim.

Source: Paris Match