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| Image supplied by bbc.co.uk |
I'll start by saying this. I support Manchester United Football Club.
I've followed the club for as long as I can remember, so naturally, I have come to dislike Man United's rivals, which includes Liverpool Football Club. When I was younger, I used to think that the rivalry trumps everything, but as I got older, I've learned that there are significant events that transcend even the intensity of rivalries.
The Hillsborough Disaster was one such event.
It happened only two years before I was born. With my ever growing love of football, I delved more into the history to football, and I learned about the events that made modern football what it is today. Of course, that curiosity led me to the events at Hillsborough Stadium on April 15, 1989. I watched live footage of that day, as well as documentaries and witness interviews. I learned about how a lack of police control, a decrepit stadium, and the lack of a prompt emergency response claimed the lives of 96 football fans. It's saddening to even think about it. Ninety-six people, who went to enjoy themselves at a football match, didn't come back and were never to be heard from again. I learned about how the police herded the fans like sheep into the already overcrowded central pen in the Leppings Lane end. Looking at that central pen, it felt like trapping wild animals in cages. The onrush of all these Liverpool fans that the police let through into the central pen crushed the fans already inside, which led to people suffocating to death.
What truly made the disaster sickening and appalling were the police and the press spreading lies about what happened at Hillsborough. The police tried to pin the blame about what happened on the fans, citing crowd trouble and hooliganism as the reasons why this disaster happened. In the 1980s, violence at football matches were regular occurrences, and English fans had a reputation for violence and disorder. This culminated in the deaths of 39 fans at Heysel stadium in 1985 during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus, and it resulted in all English clubs banned from UEFA competitions for 5 years (Liverpool got 6 years). With all that in mind, it made sense for the police to pin the blame on the Liverpool fans.
The press (most notably "The Sun" tabloid newspaper) made false claims that Liverpool fans were robbing the dead. On top of all that, the police and the government at the time tried to cover up what really happened at Hillsborough. This led to a 25-year long battle taken up by the families of those who lost their lives to uncover the truth of what happened at Hillsborough, and who really was to blame. The battle continues to this day.
Looking back at this disaster, I think it's unfortunate that the families of the 96 lost not only had to grieve for their loss, but they also had to fight the corrupt system in order to achieve some sort of appropriate justice, in which they are still fighting for. The police labeled the Liverpool fans at the stadium as hooligans, when they were simply just football fans enjoying a day out supporting the team they love. As for what happened at the stadium itself, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. No one should have to go to a football stadium and die.
I believe that the Hillsborough disaster was a catalyst for the new age of modern football, not only for England, but for the developed world as well. Without the disaster, there would never be the Taylor Report which called for the use of all-seater stadiums, among other things. Football stadiums were modernized, were more safe, and it encouraged a more family-friendly atmosphere. I don't hear about the lack of safety at football stadiums in the developed world anymore, and the Taylor Report kick-started that need for safety. I'm still a bit in shock to know that it had to take 96 people to lose their lives in order for the rest of us to feel more safe when going to football stadiums.
This morning, I watched the 25th Anniversary Hillsborough Memorial Ceremony, which was very touching. This Manchester United supporter is happy that actions are being taken to remove the stain that has been inflicted on the families of those who perished, and the City of Liverpool as a whole. I am happy to see other football clubs and their fans, including rivals, send their prayers and condolences to the families. I hope that it is sooner, rather than later, that the seeds of justice can be sown.
Justice will be served. Justice for the 96.
