FILE - In this Friday, May 29, 2015 file photo, a man holds an original banner from the 1985 match during a commemoration at the King Boudouin (formerly the Heysel) Stadium in Brussels. Friday, May 29, 2020 marks 35 years since 39 victims lost their lives during a European Cup football match between Liverpool and Juventus due to a surge of rival supporters resulting in a collapsed wall. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
The Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) - Authorities and fans on Friday marked the 35th anniversary of the Heysel Stadium tragedy where 39 people died during violence at the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus.
Flowers and wreaths were laid at a remembrance plaque at the King Baudouin Stadium, which was renovated and renamed after the tragedy. The ceremony was limited in size because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prior to the final, hooligans from a stand holding Liverpool fans smashed their way into an adjacent section for Juventus supporters. In the ensuing chaos, the victims were either trampled or suffocated to death as they tried to flee the violence. Others died when a retaining wall collapsed.
'œEvery year I come here to give the flowers for the community of Italians, because I will never forget this night, never, never, never,'ť said Sandro Follacchio, a Juventus supporter who was at the match.
The match controversially went ahead, allowing the authorities to restore a semblance of order in the chaos and arrange a relatively peaceful departure of the fans of both clubs. Juventus won 1-0.
The scenes of death and destruction remain etched in soccer's collective memory.
'œUnfortunately, I saw the dead. And lo and behold, it is a memory that will remain etched in memory forever. And I would like to say again that football is a celebration of a sport and not a place where hooligans fight in the defeat of victory," said Pietro Fragapane, a Juventus supporter who attended the memorial service.
The disaster was instrumental in improving stadium safety across the continent, and hooliganism has lost much of its violent edge.
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FILE - In this May 29, 1985 file photo, a crowd of soccer fans try to escape a collapsed wall prior to the start of the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus, at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. Liverpool had been the dominant team in the European Cup, winning four titles between 1977 and 1984. Friday, May 29, 2020 marks 35 years since 39 victims lost their lives during a European Cup football match between Liverpool and Juventus due to a surge of rival supporters resulting in a collapsed wall. (AP Photo/Gianni Foggia, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this May 29, 2015 file photo, Italy's Domenico Di Bernardo holds an original banner from the 1985 match during a commemoration at the King Boudouin (formerly the Heysel) Stadium in Brussels. Friday, May 29, 2020 marks 35 years since 39 victims lost their lives during a European Cup football match between Liverpool and Juventus due to a surge of rival supporters resulting in a collapsed wall. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
The Associated Press
File - In this May 29, 1985 file photo, Belgian riot police stand in a line in front of debris littered stands, after a disastrous clash between rival soccer fans during the European Cup Final at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. Friday, May 29, 2020 marks 35 years since 39 victims lost their lives during a European Cup football match between Liverpool and Juventus due to a surge of rival supporters resulting in a collapsed wall. (AP Photo, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Friday, May 29, 2015 file photo, former Juventus player Sergio Brio looks down at a white balloon before releasing it during a commemoration at the King Boudouin (formerly the Heysel) Stadium in Brussels. Friday, May 29, 2020 marks 35 years since 39 victims lost their lives during a European Cup football match between Liverpool and Juventus due to a surge of rival supporters resulting in a collapsed wall. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this May 29, 1985 file photo, spectators walk through the personal belongings of victims littering the stands, after a clash between rival soccer fans at the European Cup Final at Heysel Stadium in Brussels. Friday, May 29, 2020 marks 35 years since 39 victims lost their lives during a European Cup football match between Liverpool and Juventus due to a surge of rival supporters resulting in a collapsed wall. (AP Photo, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Friday, May 29, 2015 file photo, a metal cage surrounds a supporter section at the King Boudouin (formerly the Heysel) Stadium in Brussels. Friday. May 29, 2020 marks 35 years since 39 victims lost their lives during a European Cup football match between Liverpool and Juventus due to a surge of rival supporters resulting in a collapsed wall. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
The Associated Press