Editing Heysel Stadium disaster (section)

== Background ==
In May 1985, [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] were the defending [[UEFA Champions League|European Champions' Cup]] winners, having won the competition after defeating [[AS Roma|Roma]] on [[penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalties]] in the [[1984 European Cup final|previous season's final]]. Again, they would face Italian opposition, [[Juventus FC|Juventus]], which had won unbeaten the [[1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup|1983–84 Cup Winners' Cup]]. Juventus had a team of many of [[Italy national football team|Italy]]'s [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982 World Cup]] winning team, which played for Juventus for many years, and its [[playmaker]], [[Michel Platini]], was considered the best footballer in Europe and was named [[Ballon d'Or|Footballer of The Year]] by the magazine ''[[France Football]]'' for the second year in a row in December 1984. Both teams were placed in the two first positions in the [[UEFA coefficient|UEFA club ranking]] at the end of the previous season<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method1/tcoef1984.html|title=UEFA Team Coefficients 1983/1984|access-date=22 March 2014|archive-date=29 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929025935/http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method1/tcoef1984.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and were regarded by the [[sports journalism|specialist press]] as the two best teams on the continent.<ref>{{harv|Falkiner|2012}}</ref> Both teams had contested the [[1984 European Super Cup]] four months earlier, with a 2–0 victory for the Italian team.

Despite its status as Belgium's [[national stadium]], Heysel Stadium was in a poor state of repair by the [[1985 European Cup final]]. The 55-year-old stadium had not been sufficiently maintained for several years, and large parts of the facility were literally crumbling. For example, the outer wall had been made of [[cinder block]], and Liverpool fans who did not have tickets were seen kicking holes in the wall to get in.<ref name="times3">{{cite news | url=https://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,762-1554603,00.html | title=Our day of shame | work=The Times | access-date=24 May 2006 | location=London | first=Tony | last=Evans | date=5 April 2005 | archive-date=14 December 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214010232/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,762-1554603,00.html | url-status=live }}</ref> In some areas of the stadium, there was only one [[turnstile]], and some fans attending the game claimed that they were never searched or asked for their tickets.<ref name="Chalmers">{{cite web|last=Chalmers|first=Robert|title=Remembering the Heysel stadium disaster|url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/heysel-stadium-disaster-30-anniversary|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324144341/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/heysel-stadium-disaster-30-anniversary|archive-date=24 March 2019|access-date=17 December 2018|work=[[GQ]]|date=29 May 2015}}</ref>

Liverpool players and fans reportedly expressed surprise at the stadium's condition, despite reports from [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] fans that the ground was a "dump" when Arsenal had played there a few years earlier. They were also surprised that Heysel was chosen despite its poor condition, especially since [[Barcelona]]'s [[Camp Nou]] and [[Madrid]]'s [[Santiago Bernabéu Stadium|Santiago Bernabéu]] were both available. Juventus President [[Giampiero Boniperti]] and Liverpool CEO Peter Robinson urged the [[Union of European Football Associations]] (UEFA) to choose another venue and claimed that Heysel was not in any condition to host a European Cup final, especially one involving two prominent European clubs. However, UEFA refused to consider a move.<ref name=Repubblica>{{cite news|language=it |author=Enrico Sisti |url=http://www.saladellamemoriaheysel.it/Intervista_a_Ian_Rush.html |title=Il calcio cambiò per sempre |publisher=[[la Repubblica]] |date=28 May 2010 |access-date=22 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322225627/http://www.saladellamemoriaheysel.it/Intervista_a_Ian_Rush.html |archive-date=22 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="lfcstory">{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/a_1985.shtml |title=LFC Story 1985 |work=Liverpool Official Website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520113640/http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/a_1985.shtml |archive-date=20 May 2006 |access-date=24 May 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It was later discovered that UEFA's inspection of the stadium had lasted just thirty minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belgianfootball.be/en/heysel-stadium-disaster|title=The Heysel Stadium Disaster|work=[[Royal Belgian Football Association]]|access-date=10 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217062923/http://www.belgianfootball.be/en/heysel-stadium-disaster|archive-date=17 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The stadium was crammed with 58,000 to 60,000 supporters, with more than 25,000 for each team. The two ends behind the goals comprised all-standing terraces, each end split into three zones. The Juventus end was O, N, and M, and the Liverpool end was X, Y, and Z, as deemed by the Belgian court after the disaster. However, the tickets for the Z section were reserved for neutral Belgian fans in addition to the rest of the stadium. The idea of the large neutral area was opposed by both Liverpool and Juventus,<ref name="times2">{{cite news | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,428-1532782,00.html | title=Night of mayhem in Brussels that will never be forgotten | work=The Times | access-date=24 May 2006 | location=London | first1=James | last1=Ducker | first2=Tom | last2=Dart | date=19 March 2005 | archive-date=12 December 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212165630/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,428-1532782,00.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> as it would provide an opportunity for fans of both clubs to obtain tickets from agencies or from [[ticket resale|ticket touts]] outside the ground and thereby create a dangerous mix of fans.<ref name="lfcstory"/>

At the time, Belgium already had a large Italian community; many [[expatriate]] Juventus fans from Brussels, [[Liège]] and [[Charleroi]] bought Section Z tickets.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/championsleague200405/story/0,,1450632,00.html |title=Liverpool still torn over night that shamed their name |work=The Guardian |access-date=24 May 2006 |location=London |first=Paul |last=Kelso |date=2 April 2005 |archive-date=18 August 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818233206/http://football.guardian.co.uk/championsleague200405/story/0,,1450632,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Chalmers/> Also, many tickets were bought up and sold by travel agents, mainly to Juventus fans. That meant the Juventus fans had more sections than the Liverpool fans with the Z section, which was nominally reserved for neutrals. Reportedly, Liverpool fans were still smarting from being attacked by Roma [[ultras]] at the 1984 European Cup final and placed next to what amounted to another Juventus section heightened tensions before the match.<ref name=Chalmers/> A small percentage of the tickets ended up in the hands of Liverpool fans.