Fascinating documentary. I remember watching the tragic events unfold live on the TV. The game was being transmitted live on RTÉ Television here iin Ireland.
To me, *sheer* incompetence all round! And I am also *not* saying all the fans were blameless either. Someone *still* could have had the sense to back out. *RIP, and eventual peace and justice* for the 97 dead, the same goes for their loved ones. My heart *also* goes for the near 800 of those injured and everyone else affected that day.
A Pre-health & Safety assessment and planning 24 hours hours before with police cordons and crowd control outside and crowd filtering inside by the tunnel area, communication to all officers from the control box that had a clear view of the pens with the naked eye and CCTV is all what was needed to avoid this. If this was down to normal security operatives and official football associates managing the crowd management, there would have been people jailed for this but because it was police, it was covered up and nobody to blame except the fans.
Gate c was opened and 5,000 fans rushed towards the tunnel to the central pens. The police guarding it shit themselves seeing the marauding crowd coming their way and ran for their lives. This left the tunnel open and the central pens were already full. The late comers all entered the pens and crushed the early birds to death. The sheer force of 5,000 people being in a cage made for 2,000. Peoples faces were jammed against each other until they passed out from a lack of oxygen. As they fell to the floor their bodies crushed by the feet of the standing. The police who ran for their lives should have had the courage to stand their ground and block the tunnel, and redirected those marauding fans to the side pens which were empty. None of this would have happened. When there is only one person at a time coming through a turnstile it is simple to redirect them but when 5,000 are let in at once it can be intimidating.
It's absaloutly terrible human error.. not one fan had the sense to back out and leave, and no one stopped the start of the game .... police wer confused with no organisation at all
Fascinating documentary. I remember watching the tragic events unfold live on the TV. The game was being transmitted live on RTÉ Television here iin Ireland.
To me, *sheer* incompetence all round! And I am also *not* saying all the fans were blameless either. Someone *still* could have had the sense to back out. *RIP, and eventual peace and justice* for the 97 dead, the same goes for their loved ones. My heart *also* goes for the near 800 of those injured and everyone else affected that day.
A Pre-health & Safety assessment and planning 24 hours hours before with police cordons and crowd control outside and crowd filtering inside by the tunnel area, communication to all officers from the control box that had a clear view of the pens with the naked eye and CCTV is all what was needed to avoid this. If this was down to normal security operatives and official football associates managing the crowd management, there would have been people jailed for this but because it was police, it was covered up and nobody to blame except the fans.
Gate c was opened and 5,000 fans rushed towards the tunnel to the central pens. The police guarding it shit themselves seeing the marauding crowd coming their way and ran for their lives. This left the tunnel open and the central pens were already full. The late comers all entered the pens and crushed the early birds to death. The sheer force of 5,000 people being in a cage made for 2,000. Peoples faces were jammed against each other until they passed out from a lack of oxygen. As they fell to the floor their bodies crushed by the feet of the standing.
The police who ran for their lives should have had the courage to stand their ground and block the tunnel, and redirected those marauding fans to the side pens which were empty. None of this would have happened. When there is only one person at a time coming through a turnstile it is simple to redirect them but when 5,000 are let in at once it can be intimidating.
#JFT97
It's absaloutly terrible human error.. not one fan had the sense to back out and leave, and no one stopped the start of the game .... police wer confused with no organisation at all