Heysel 40 | I was there: the testimonies of Vignola, Brio, Cabrini and Briaschi | OneFootball

On 29 May 1985, at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, a few minutes before the start of the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool, 39 people lost their lives due to violent clashes that broke out in the stands and continued throughout an evening marked by dramatic events. That night was a senseless tragedy, leaving deep sorrow for the victims who did not return home. Forty years later, the wound remains open, finding no peace or consolation.

Here are the indelible memories of those who experienced those moments first hand.

BENIAMINO VIGNOLA

“It was a match that was the pinnacle of a two-year period of success, the year before we had won the Scudetto and the Cup Winners' Cup. And the Scudetto allowed us to qualify for what was then the European Cup, which Juventus started as favourites. We breezed through to the final of what I think was a historic European Cup campaign, where we only came close to being troubled during the second leg of the semi-final against Bordeaux. So, we went into the final as favourites, with the possibility of being able to cap off a very important period of Juventus’ history. The memory of that night, however, is not what it should have been. It was a tragic night and all the conditions were in place for it to end that way. A dilapidated stadium for a European Cup final and a poor police presence for such an large event. I experienced it all from the bench because I was replaced for the final by our dear friend Paolo Rossi. The atmosphere was surreal, we played a game that we were forced to take part in for various reasons. The two teams were together in the locker room, for a while we thought that we would not play. We did not know the extent of the incident at the time of the match until we returned to the hotel. It was a tragedy, it should have taught us an important lesson, it should have left a more indelible mark on the world of football. For us it is a very bad memory.”

SERGIO BRIO

“While we were warming up, which went on for a long time, we saw fans arriving from section Z in tears, holding crying children in their arms. They had all their clothes ripped off, and first aid arrived from the UEFA staff and our doctor, Francesco La Neve, with the completely inadequate security service failing to intervene. During the warm-up there was a sort of meeting, Juventus did not want to play that match but were forced to take to the pitch for reasons of public order. After the game we went back to the hotel and were told in detail what had happened. Those who say that we won a blood-stained cup only add to the pain of the relatives who lost their loved ones. As a child you dream of playing in the European Cup, of winning it, but suddenly you find yourself in a surreal situation: on the one hand you have won that trophy, on the other hand, however, there are thirty-nine innocent dead. Years later I still think it was the right decision to play that match because otherwise we would be talking about a massacre. At the same time, however, we must not forget these 39 people who unfortunately lost their lives over a football match. It must never happen again, these people must always be remembered.”

ANTONIO CABRINI

“For that final, serious mistakes were made both in the choice of the stadium, which was not suitable for a European Cup final, and in not appropriately considering the competitive nature between the two fanbases, which could unfortunately lead to violent incidents with the absence of adequate security. Right from the start something very serious appeared to be happening, going by the reactions of fans in the Juventus stand, we saw people's desperation even though we did not understand exactly what had happened. Terrified people were arriving, injured people. You didn't realise that part of the stand had collapsed. We were against playing, but then perhaps it was the right choice because we avoided the two fanbases coming into contact.”

MASSIMO BRIASCHI

“It was an unbelievable situation and I had already sensed the signs that something bad could happen during the morning walk, which we did in the central areas of Brussels, noticing the atmosphere amongst the English fans - we must remember that it was the era of the hooligans - from the early hours of the day. There was a lack of management on the part of all the organising bodies. A European Cup final should not have been played in a stadium like that. When we were actually told what had happened, it hurt like hell. We had received fragmented pieces of news, there were people passing through the dressing room and telling us something... Then, once we arrived at the hotel, we learned what had really happened. And the memory is of not being able to say goodbye to 39 fans who had come to support us. It is something that is imprinted not only in our souls, those of us who were there, but in the souls of everyone, even those outside the sporting world.”