In the weeks leading up to the final Juventus and Liverpool

Twenty-nine years ago yesterday, 39 supporters who had set off for a football match in Brussels, Belgium would not return home to their loved ones. I remember it vividly. A Wednesday evening, home in London watching the TV with huge anticipation for the annual showpiece event of the Euro soccer calendar - the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus. The 1984 Italian Champions team included Paolo Rossi, the striker who singlehandedly slayed the might of Brazil when scoring a hat trick against them in the quarterfinals of the 1982 World Cup. Rossi wasnt even the star player. That was Michel Platini, the current UEFA President. Italys Brazil 2014 manager, Cesare Prandelli was on the bench. The 39 innocent supporters were killed in cold blood as they attempted to flee from the onslaught of hooliganism initiated by so called fans of Liverpool. It occurred on the terrace behind the goal where Juventus supporters were in the majority. A wall which prevented the Juventus supporters from escaping collapsed with devastating consequences an hour before the game had been scheduled to kick off. Thirty-eight died instantly, a 39th victim succumbing in hospital three months later. Thirty-two were Italians, four Belgian and two French nationals, even a supporter from Northern Ireland. Reports at the time stated over 600 fans were treated for injuries they suffered. The victims came from a whole cross section of society. Included a couple of mailmen, a pair of chefs, three doctors, several students and store workers, a car mechanic, a soldier, a school boy, a farmer, a fashion photographer , a construction worker, a taxi driver and a school janitor. The youngest of whom was only 11-years old. The Heysel Tragedy. One of soccers darkest moments. In the aftermath, UEFA deemed it acceptable for the match to go ahead. Their reasoning concluded it was in the public safety to do so. Cancelling the match they believed would have led to further mayhem. For the record, courtesy of a second half Michel Platini penalty, Juventus won its first European title. The subsequent investigation into the Heysel Tragedy brought no comfort to the grieving families. The stadium was ill equipped to deal with such an occasion. In the weeks leading up to the final Juventus and Liverpool complained to UEFA, stating their concerns for the stadium. Crumbling infrastructure, inadequate policing and security were key factors in preventing such a tragedy. All that separated the Liverpool and Juventus supporters on that fateful terrace was a chicken wire. Criminal charges were made. Convictions for involuntary manslaughter were bought against 14 Liverpool fans in a court case that took over four-years to bring. They served very little jail time. Civil charges against those resulted in a scant award of $7 million to the victims families. The Belgian Football Union was put in the dock too. The BFUs most senior official given a suspended prison sentence for "Regrettable Negligence." UEFA itself was not immune - their president and another senior official receiving conditional discharges. Two days after the tragedy and under severe pressure from Margaret Thatchers government, the English Football Association announced it was banning its clubs from playing in Europe. Within a week, UEFA announced that with immediate effect they were banning English clubs indefinitely. It would be five years before they would be permitted to enter European competitions. Additionally Liverpool were banned for a further three-years but 12 months later that ban was lifted. In a highly moving pre-match ceremony on the pitch before their April 27th match against Chelsea, Liverpool recognized the 25th Anniversary of Hillsborough. Brendan Rodgers led the tributes. Yesterday the club placed a floral tribute beneath the Heysel Memorial Plaque which adorns the Centenary Stand at Anfield. Juventus marked the anniversary late last month in a ceremony at their memorial site for the victims. Yesterday a poignant statement was posted on the clubs website - Heysel, the Day of Silence. Hillsborough has always remained in the public consciousness. Heysel however has not. Look at UEFAs website today and you wouldnt even know such an inhumane tragedy occurred at their showpiece club event. If anything positive came out of Heysel, it was that it signified the beginning of the end of wide scale rioting and hooliganism that had wrought havoc across the English game in the preceding decade. That is not to suggest that today the so termed "English Disease" has been completely eradicated. As millions of supporters begin gathering in the 12 host cities staging this summers World Cup, they do so against a backdrop which includes construction worker fatalities and anti-World Cup protests similar to those which occurred at last summers Confederations Cup where an estimated 1,000,000 Brazilians took to the streets. Come July 13th when the world gathers around its TV sets for the World Cup Final let us hope during these upcoming weeks the world doesnt lay witness to 1 more death in the `name of football. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. NFL Jerseys Sale .Voegele will next play Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia, who saved 10 of 16 break points to defeat Annika Beck of Germany 7-6 (6), 6-4.Also, Marina Erakovic of New Zealand defeated eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/cheap-nhl-jerseys . The Islanders own the fifth pick in the 2014 draft but had until June 1 to decide whether to keep it or defer to 2015. The selection was packaged in the teams deal for Thomas Vanek on October 27, 2013. Authentic NFL Jerseys . The $145.7-million Tim Hortons Field was slated to open this month, a year before it was to host all 32 mens and womens soccer competitions. The delay has forced the Hamilton Tiger-Cats football team to use a smaller facility for the first two home games of the season. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley.FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets rookie wide receiver Jalen Saunders was involved in a single-car accident early Friday and hospitalized. The team announced Saunders, a fourth-round pick, was on his way to the Jets practice facility at the time of the accident. There was no immediate word on Saunders condition, but the Jets say he wont travel with the team for theeir preseason game at Cincinnati on Saturday night.dddddddddddd. The team did not release additional details of the accident. The speedy Saunders, the 104th pick overall out of Oklahoma, is expected to compete for a role as a backup receiver and punt returner. He returned two punts for 11 yards in the preseason opener against Indianapolis last week. ' ' '