Advertisement

Soccer-Heysel memory 30 years on is motivation for Juve

By Karolos Grohmann BERLIN, June 5 (Reuters) - Remembering the dozens of mainly Italian victims who died 30 years ago at the European Cup final is a strong motivation for Juventus as they prepare to face Barcelona in the Champions League final on Saturday. Some 39 people, most of them Juventus fans, were killed at the dilapidated Heysel stadium in Brussels when Liverpool supporters charged at them before kickoff, causing a wall to collapse and many people to fall and suffocate. "I went to the commemoration last week, remembering the victims and what happened, and for us it is a further stimulus because we hope to dedicate the victory to those who lost their lives that day," Juve defender Leonardo Bonucci said on Friday. "It is 30 years since Heysel and for us it is very important," he added. The match in 1985 went ahead despite the deaths and with current European soccer president Michel Platini scoring the only goal with a penalty as Juventus won 1-0 on one of the darkest nights in European football. In a twist of fate Platini, as head of UEFA, will hand over the trophy to the winners on Saturday. A Juventus victory would be that much more important for their fans on such a date, coach Massimiliano Allegri said "It is very important what happened 30 years ago for Juve fans, for fans around the world," Allegri said. "It has gone down in the history of football and that year is a year that needs to be remembered." "We have to remember the victims. We have to think about the families of the victims," Allegri said. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)