One of football’s greatest tragedies occurred on April 15, 1989, during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forrest. Then, as a result of the overcrowding of the Leppings Lane stand at Hilsborough Stadium in Sheffield, a “human avalanche” killed 96 men, women and children.
“This tragedy could have been avoided. It would have been enough to take care of the ten-year-old safety certificate. Or not let such a large group of Liverpool supporters into the Leppings Lane stand. Or not open the second gate, or close the tunnel leading to the stand, or inform fans about other entrances. Lots of mistakes were made at Hillsborough for which 96 innocent supporters paid the price, and no one but them.”
Overcrowded sector, crushed fans. In 2023, this should not be happening
More than 30 years after this tragedy, a similar event could have happened. On January 7, 2023, the FA Cup match between local Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United took place. Around 4,500 home supporters had gathered in the Leppings Lane Stand, but organizational problems led to dangerous overcrowding and crushing of visiting team fans in their sector. “Hillsborough 2023. Newcastle fans trying to get through the tunnel at Leppings. Unbelievable,” The Times journalist Martin Hardy tweeted, posting a photo of the stand.
“The infrastructure and layout of the stadium at its lowest level are the worst I have ever seen in person,” Newcastle supporter and YouTuber Adam Pearson commented on the post. The fans who were present at Leppings Lane that day shared their experiences. The stand has not been renovated since 1989.
“Awful. We were crammed in so we had to rip off the blue chair covers (they are used to mark the buffer zone – ed.) to create our own area for about 100 people. The security upstairs, despite the empty seats, turns back fans with valid tickets. Disaster”, “They crushed me at half-time, it was terrible. I couldn’t breathe”, “It was absolute chaos” – these are just some of the accounts of the fans who wanted to watch the match that day.
On the pitch, the hosts turned out to be the best, who defeated the rival, playing two leagues higher, 2:1. On top of that, Newcastle are having a great season, they are third in the Premier League and have a good chance of playing in the Champions League next season.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
