Friday, 2 May 2014

25 years and nothing changes.

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It's twenty five years since the terrible football disaster the was Hillsborough when over ninety Liverpool fans were crushed to death before the start of the F.A cup semi-final. Over the last two months there have been various moments of reflection held throughout the nation, and before the start of games.

On Easter Sunday Liverpool paid a visit to Carrow Road to play the team I support Norwich City. There have been great effects made since that terrible day to improve both the stadiums that fans use, and also their behaviour once they are there. With what the Liverpool fans have experienced over the years in seeking justice for the extensive police cover up over their own failings I expected the people of Liverpool who visited that day to be on their best.

How wrong was I.

For all my readers around the world you will know that I am a steward covering the away section at Carrow Road. The game started at twelve noon so I had to be at the stadium at 10 am. We were informed that most Liverpool fans turning up were expected to be under the influence of drink, or drugs, and a sniffer dog was employed for this reason. By 11 am when the majority of the Liverpool supports arrived this prediction was proved right.

Many of them without tickets tried to jump the gates exactly the same thing which happened on the day of the Hillsborough disaster. Extra staff were called in to stop it which ended up with a female steward in tears after being abused, and it carried on throughout the game with various assaults on staff. At half time some of the bars had to be closed early when they were trashed, and by the time the game had finished urine was running down the isles, and hundreds if not thousands of pounds of damage had been done to the seating area.

Twenty minutes after the game had finished the rest of the ground was empty bar us stewards who had to stay behind to look after about a thousand Liverpool fans who refused to move as they continued celebrating. This was when the worst thing happened. There was a massive explosion. Everyone froze in silence for five seconds.The worst fears of a bomb was on every ones face until the supporters knew it wasn't one, and started to cheer and clap.

What idiot takes an explosive device into a football stadium for a laugh?

By the time they left everyone was glad to see the back of them and as I walked away from the stadium I reflected on what had gone on. In the last three decades the two biggest disasters that accumulated in the large scale death of fans within a football stadium has involved Liverpool supporters; after their disgraceful performance on Easter Sunday it may well not be the last.

Regards

Mark.



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