Juventus mark 37th anniversary of Heysel Stadium disaster

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Juventus on Sunday paid tribute to victims of the Heysel Stadium disaster on the 37th anniversary of the tragic event.

Thirty-two Italian fans of Juventus, along with four Belgians, two French people, and one man from Northern Ireland were killed in a stampede almost an hour before the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium on May 29, 1985.

"There are the memories of those who were there that evening and who have been unable to watch a football match through the same eyes because those events in Bruxelles day mark a watershed moment," Juventus said in a statement to honor the victims.

"There is the disbelief of those who may not even have been born yet, but when they look at those images, they find it hard to believe that a disaster on that scale could actually have happened at a football stadium," it added.

Despite the incident, the match went on and the Italian club clinched its first European Cup, beating Liverpool 1-0 thanks to the goal produced on a penalty kick by Michel Platini.

After the disaster, all English football teams and the England national football team were excluded from European competitions for five years.

Liverpool was banned from European clashes for eight years.