The Heysel European Cup final, the match of shame, turns 40.

Last Monday, dozens of Liverpool fans attacked during the celebrations for the Reds ' 20th league title, thankfully, didn't end in a massacre, but fans of a certain age—or those with more memory—were left with chills due to the proximity to the anniversary of the Heysel tragedy. On this day, four decades ago, the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus went ahead despite the fact that 39 fans, mostly Italian, had lost their lives in fights and riots in the hours beforehand.

The bodies were stored behind one of the goals of the Brussels stadium, now renamed King Baudouin. Juventus won, but lost its dignity. As a result of the tragedy, English clubs were banned from European competitions for five years, while Liverpool was banned for eight years.

Heysel was sandwiched between two tragedies in English football. Just two weeks before the final, 56 fans died and 265 were injured after a fire broke out during a match between Bradford City and Lincoln City. The stadium's main stand caught fire from a carelessly extinguished cigarette butt, and the flames consumed the wooden structure of that section of the stadium in just four minutes, completing the disaster.

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It was an accident, unlike what happened at Hillsborough in 1989. Ninety-seven people lost their lives as a result of the crush that occurred at an FA Cup match between Liverpool—against Nottingham Forest—and Liverpool. A subsequent investigation showed that police errors in handling the incident led to the tragedy. The authorities allowed overcrowding and failed to open the safety exits as soon as the crush occurred. Most of the fans died from being crushed.

Hooligans, avalanches, and gunfire

But what happened at Heysel 40 years ago was neither an accident nor negligence. The actions of Liverpool hooligans were the cause of the tragedy. Before kickoff, in an area of ​​the stadium that, due to lack of foresight, was occupied by supporters of both teams, the English team's hooligans began first insulting and then attacking supporters of the rival, Juventus. Sticks, objects, and fists caused panic among the Italian fans.

The Belgian police were unable to contain the situation, and the desperate Italian fans fled the area, only to find themselves in a deadly trap. They fled toward a dead-end safety zone, which also collapsed. The avalanche caused crushing and death.

Faced with the situation, hundreds of fans from both teams rushed onto the pitch, sparking further violence. By the time the match began, the Heysel stadium was a riot. By the time ambulances and paramedics arrived, tragedy was inevitable. 39 people died, most from suffocation and crushing. Of these, 32 were fans of the Italian team.

The match was played, and the improvised morgue set up near the pitch was clearly visible from multiple corners of the stadium. It started 90 minutes late and was seen as a lesser evil, given that authorities believed that not playing the match would lead to more violence. Juventus won with a goal from Platini, and the trophy was not presented on the pitch.

More innocent than guilty

The subsequent investigation exonerated UEFA, the Belgian authorities, and the Heysel Stadium owners of any wrongdoing. Fourteen Englishmen were convicted of manslaughter, serving less than two years. What happened wasn't enough to rethink the organization of football. It was believed that curbing the radicals would eliminate the problem, something Hillsborough was keen to deny.

FIFA reformed the way it managed its major events, with the 1990 World Cup in Italy serving as a prime example, as it would mark the return of hooligans to continental Europe. Heysel wasn't enough to reform the stadiums' architectural security measures. It wasn't until a major tragedy, that of Hillsborough, that new emergency exits and tighter capacity controls were considered.

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Perhaps the most visible consequence of Heysel was sporting. The crisis in English football resulting from the ban prompted the creation of the Premier League in 1992, a sort of re-establishment of the English League . Euro 1996 and the catchy Three Lions by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner, and The Lightning Seeds—" It's coming home, it's coming… Football's coming home "—separated Heysel from the factual memory of English football.

In 1995, ten years after the tragedy, the Heysel stadium was renamed King Baudouin Stadium, and in 1996 it hosted the final of the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup between PSG and Rapid Vienna, which the French side won.

Today, as it has every May 29th for the past 40 years, Turin will remember those who died at Heysel. Juventus will unveil a new sculpture titled Verso Altrove near the Allianz Stadium, symbolizing memory and hope, in tribute to those who died at Heysel. It remains to be seen whether there will be room for remembrance this Saturday in the Champions League final between Inter and PSG.