The world of football was devastated by a human tragedy that occurred on this day, April 15, 1989. The Hillsborough tragedy occurred during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, when a horrific human crush occurred. So, on its 34th anniversary, we pray to God and remember the 97 fans who lost their lives in the disaster.
The fact that there were 766 injuries in addition to 94 fatalities on that day makes the incident one of the most catastrophic ones ever. Later, 3 additional people passed away from injuries sustained in the crushing, bringing the total death toll to 97.
The game was about to start, but just before the kickoff, the crush occurred. The Liverpool supporters were given access to one of the two sections called the Leppings Lane Stand. The police commander in chief, David Duckenfield, gave the order to open exit gate C to relieve the pen’s overcrowding, which resulted in a massive surge of supporters entering the pen. Which ultimately ended in the pens being packed, which caused the crush.
The South Yorkshire police laid the responsibility for this on the supporters, claiming that they were acting inappropriately and intoxicated, which outraged the supporters and caused them to revolt. Even after a committee reported that it wasn’t the fans’ fault, the cops persisted in blaming them. Numerous times, the matter was reopened, but no conclusion was reached.
In the world of football, many things were altered by this occurrence. The police officers received specific instructions on how to manage the crowd of people. Even the standing pens were taken out of the stadium, and all-seater stadiums were mandated. To prevent this from happening, only seated stadiums were allowed to host first- and second-tier league games.
The game was ultimately won by Liverpool, which was later contested at Old Trafford, who also took home the FA Cup.
I pray for the eternal peace and unending memory of the 97 people who went to support their team.
