Casepin
Back to cases

Solved case

Heysel Stadium disaster

Fighting between rival football supporters at Heysel Stadium in Brussels led to a crowd crush and the collapse of a stadium wall on 29 May 1985, killing 39 people and injuring about 600 before that year's European Cup final; Belgian courts later convicted 14 Liverpool fans and a Belgian police captain of manslaughter.

SOLVED1985

Heysel Stadium

3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Heysel (Jubilee) Stadium, 1935
Heysel (Jubilee) Stadium, 1935 — Credit: Unknown author · Public domain

On 29 May 1985, a crowd crush and the collapse of a stadium wall killed 39 spectators and injured about 600 others at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, roughly an hour before the kickoff of that year's European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. Fighting broke out across a thin, fenced divide between a Liverpool section and the stadium's supposedly neutral Section Z, which was in practice populated mostly by Juventus supporters who had obtained tickets through Belgian outlets and travel agents. After the dividing fence was torn down and a small number of police officers at the boundary were overwhelmed, the largely Juventus crowd fled toward the pitch and the exits — both blocked by police and officials — and then toward a decrepit concrete perimeter wall. Fans already pressed against the wall were crushed, and its lower section collapsed under the pressure, burying people beneath it; some climbed to safety while many others died or were badly injured.

Of the 39 people killed, 32 were Italian (including two minors), four were Belgian, two French, and one from Northern Ireland. Heysel Stadium, then 55 years old, had failed prior inspections and was in poor repair; some turnstiles reportedly went unmanned, and Liverpool fans without tickets were seen kicking holes in an outer wall to enter. Despite the deaths, UEFA officials, the Italian, English and Belgian football associations, Belgium's Ministry of the Interior, and the Brussels city police jointly decided the match should proceed rather than risk further unrest amid a state of siege declared in the city. Juventus won 1–0 on a penalty scored by Michel Platini.

A Belgian investigation led by judge Marina Coppieters concluded, after eighteen months, that responsibility lay not solely with fans but also with police and stadium authorities. Thirty-four people were arrested and questioned, and 26 Liverpool fans were charged with manslaughter — the only extraditable offense available — over the death of Juventus fan Mario Ronchi; they were extradited to Belgium in September 1987 and formally charged with manslaughter in connection with all 39 deaths, plus assault. Their trial opened in October 1988 alongside three Belgians: police captain Johan Mahieu and police chief Michel Kensier, both in charge of policing at the stadium, and Belgian Football Association head Albert Roosens, charged over the sale of Liverpool-section tickets to Juventus fans. In April 1989, 14 of the Liverpool fans were convicted of manslaughter, and Mahieu was found guilty of manslaughter; Liverpool fan Ronnie Jepson was among those acquitted.

UEFA banned English clubs from European competition indefinitely; the ban was lifted for most clubs from the 1990–91 season, effective 11 July 1990, and for Liverpool from 1991–92. UEFA separately barred Belgium from hosting a European final for at least ten years. Heysel Stadium was rebuilt as the King Baudouin Stadium in 1994. Victims including Claudio Zavaroni and Mario Ronchi have since been named in memorials in Turin, Reggio Emilia, at the rebuilt stadium, and at Liverpool's Anfield ground.

Key facts

Victims
Claudio Zavaroni, Mario Ronchi
Date
1985
Location
Heysel Stadium
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1985-05-29

    Fighting breaks out between Liverpool and Juventus supporters at Heysel Stadium in Brussels before the 1985 European Cup final; fleeing fans are crushed against a perimeter wall, which collapses. Thirty-nine spectators are killed and about 600 injured; officials allow the match to proceed and Juventus wins 1–0.

  2. 1985-05-30

    UEFA observer Gunter Schneider publicly states that only English fans were responsible for the disaster.

  3. 1985-05-31

    British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher asks the Football Association to withdraw English clubs from European competition before UEFA imposes a ban.

  4. 1985-06-06

    FIFA extends UEFA's ban on English clubs to all worldwide matches.

  5. 1985-08-18

    A memorial service for the disaster's victims is held before Liverpool's first fixture afterward, against Arsenal at Anfield; The Sydney Morning Herald reports it was "drowned out" by chanting.

  6. 1985-12

    FIFA announces English clubs may resume playing friendly matches in Europe, though the Belgian government bans English clubs from playing in Belgium.

  7. 1985

    A memorial with an epitaph by journalist Giovanni Arpino is presented to the victims at Juventus's headquarters in Piazza Crimea, Turin.

  8. 1986

    England introduces a legal provision allowing troublemakers to be excluded from domestic football grounds for three months.

  9. 1987-02

    A London extradition hearing rules that 26 Liverpool fans charged with manslaughter are to be extradited to Belgium to stand trial over the death of Juventus fan Mario Ronchi.

  10. 1987-09

    The 26 Liverpool fans are extradited to Belgium and formally charged with manslaughter in connection with all 39 deaths, plus additional assault charges.

  11. 1988-10

    Trial begins in Belgium for the 26 Liverpool fans alongside three Belgians: police chiefs Johan Mahieu and Michel Kensier, and Belgian Football Association head Albert Roosens, who was charged over the sale of Liverpool-section tickets to Juventus fans.

  12. 1989-04

    Fourteen of the Liverpool fans are convicted of manslaughter; Liverpool fan Ronnie Jepson is among those acquitted. Belgian police captain Johan Mahieu, who had been in charge of stadium security, is found guilty of manslaughter. Sources give differing accounts of the fans' sentences (see confidence notes).

  13. 1989-04

    UEFA confirms that English clubs, with the exception of Liverpool, will be readmitted to its competitions from the 1990–91 season.

  14. 1990-07-11

    The readmission of English clubs (excluding Liverpool) to UEFA competitions takes effect.

  15. 1990

    UEFA bans Belgium from hosting a European final for a minimum of ten years.

  16. 1991-04

    UEFA's executive committee votes to allow Liverpool back into European competition from the 1991–92 season.

  17. 1991

    England's Football Spectators Act 1989 is introduced, part of a wider set of stadium-safety and anti-hooliganism reforms.

  18. 1991

    A second memorial to the 39 victims, including Claudio Zavaroni, is inaugurated in Reggio Emilia in front of Stadio Mirabello.

  19. 1994

    Heysel Stadium is almost completely rebuilt as the King Baudouin Stadium.

  20. 2005-05-29

    A sculpture commemorating the disaster, including 39 lights representing the victims, is unveiled at the rebuilt Heysel stadium.

  21. 2010-05-26

    A permanent plaque honoring the Juventus fans who died is unveiled on the Centenary Stand at Anfield.

  22. 2012-05

    A Heysel memorial is unveiled in the J-Museum in Turin.

  23. 2015-11-12

    Italian football federation officials and Juventus representatives hold a 30th-anniversary ceremony at the Heysel monument inside King Baudouin Stadium.

  24. 2015-11-13

    Italian Football Federation president Carlo Tavecchio announces the retirement of the Italian national team's number 39 shirt, referencing the 39 victims, ahead of a friendly against Belgium.

Best coverage

No coverage has been attached to this file yet.

Know good coverage? Submit it

People

  • Claudio Zavaroni

    VICTIM

    One of the 39 people killed in the disaster; Reggio Emilia, his hometown, is the site of a 1991 memorial to the victims.

  • Michel Kensier

    CHARGED

    Belgian police chief in charge of policing at Heysel Stadium on the night of the disaster; stood trial in Belgium from October 1988. The retrieved source does not state the trial's outcome for him.

  • Albert Roosens

    CHARGED

    Head of the Belgian Football Association; stood trial in Belgium from October 1988 over the sale of Liverpool-section tickets to Juventus fans. The retrieved source does not state the trial's outcome for him.

  • Mario Ronchi

    VICTIM

    Juventus fan whose death was the specific charge underlying the 1987 extradition of 26 Liverpool fans to Belgium.

  • Ronnie Jepson

    ACQUITTED

    One of the 26 Liverpool fans charged with manslaughter over the disaster; acquitted at the 1988–89 Belgian trial. Later played 414 games over a thirteen-year English Football League career.

  • Johan Mahieu

    CONVICTED

    Belgian police captain in charge of stadium security on the night of the disaster; charged with involuntary manslaughter following the investigation, then found guilty of manslaughter at the 1988–89 Belgian trial.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Heysel disaster memorial in Cherasco, Italy

    archival location

    Heysel disaster memorial in Cherasco, Italy

    Credit: Pmk58 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Heysel (Jubilee) Stadium, 1935

    archival location

    Heysel (Jubilee) Stadium, 1935

    Credit: Unknown author · Public domain · Source

  • King Baudouin Stadium

    archival location

    King Baudouin Stadium

    Credit: User:Ifoundanickel, Ssolbergj · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

  • Heysel Stadium memorial, St John's Gardens, Liverpool

    archival location

    Heysel Stadium memorial, St John's Gardens, Liverpool

    Credit: Rodhullandemu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Heysel disaster memorial naming the 39 victims, Juventus Museum, Turin

    archival location

    Heysel disaster memorial naming the 39 victims, Juventus Museum, Turin

    Credit: Anonimo8428 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Heysel Stadium disaster memorial plaque naming the 39 victims (1985–2005), Brussels

    archival location

    Heysel Stadium disaster memorial plaque naming the 39 victims (1985–2005), Brussels

    Credit: Randy110912 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • The Atomium on the Heysel/Heizel plateau, Brussels — beside the stadium

    archival location

    The Atomium on the Heysel/Heizel plateau, Brussels — beside the stadium

    Credit: Helmlechner · CC0 · Source

  • Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium

    archival location

    Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium

    Credit: Celuici · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Brussels rooftops at night, with the Town Hall spire (Grand-Place)

    archival location

    Brussels rooftops at night, with the Town Hall spire (Grand-Place)

    Credit: DimiTalen · CC0 · Source

Places

Heysel Stadium

50.8950, 4.3339

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Fighting between rival football supporters at Heysel Stadium in Brussels led to a crowd crush and the collapse of a stadium wall on 29 May 1985, killing 39 people and injuring about 600 before that year's European Cup final; Belgian courts later convicted 14 Liverpool fans and a Belgian police captain of manslaughter.
Where did the crime happen?
Heysel Stadium.
Who was convicted?
Johan Mahieu (Belgian police captain in charge of stadium security on the night of the disaster; charged with involuntary manslaughter following the investigation, then found guilty of manslaughter at the 1988–89 Belgian trial.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Belgium

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICHeysel Stadium disasterWikipedia · 2026-07-16
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-16
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The GuardianThe Guardian · 2026-07-16

Record history

First published
JUL 18, 2026

When a file you follow changes — a new development, a correction, fresh coverage — the Dispatch is how you hear about it.

The Casepin Dispatch

A calm weekly briefing from the archive — one case worth understanding, meaningful updates to files you follow, and the best new coverage. You’ll also get the one-time note when the apps land. No gore, no rumor, no drip.