CNN
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The UK’s most decorated soccer team was once again tragedy earlier this week.
This is the second league title Liverpool won in five years. The final year was 2020, when the Premier League trophy was lifted in front of Anfield in the sky, and players and fans were unable to celebrate their first top flight victory in 30 years at the parade. The Reds’ 2025 Premier League title celebration was intended to be a day of pure joy and celebration.
Red smoke from the flare penetrated the air, red dust covered the soles of the shoes, and the crowd was still in full celebration mode around the strands, and the words that the van had ploughed into the Water Street crowd quickly spread.
The collision injured 79 people, including four children, and four individuals were trapped under the vehicle and required rescue. As of Thursday, seven of the injured remained in the hospital.
Police quickly released information that the suspect was a 53-year-old white British from the Liverpool area, and they didn’t treat the incident as a terrorist attack.
For a club that has been packed with glory and heartbreak for the past decades, the Liverpool Football Club has once again endured a dark moment that undermined one of its brightest days. But those who know the club, its history, its fans say that is where the similarities end. The lessons they take from the May 26th incident are one of strength, solidarity and community. It feels right for a club where supporters promise each other not to walk alone.
Two disasters over the four years of the 1980s had a major impact on Liverpool as a city and club, and quickly appeared in many minds on May 26th.
It has now been 40 years since the Haysel disaster on May 29, 1985, when Liverpool faced Italy’s Juventus in the European Cup final in Brussels, Belgium. The Stampede, a Liverpool fan, stamped the stands, which mainly includes supporters of Juventus, causing 39 fans to die and 600 injured as the retaining wall fell.
Steve Rotherham, mayor of the Liverpool city city area, was in that European Cup final. He emphasized the importance of reminiscing the disaster at Highsel Stadium on this week’s 40th anniversary, telling the BBC:
“But the fact that Liverpool fans played in it and some of those people were later imprisoned for the part they played in it,” Rosalam added.
Just four years later, on April 15, 1989, Liverpool played Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-finals at Hillsboro Stadium.
According to the BBC, it is the worst sports disaster in British history.
And in 2022, history was threatened to repeat itself in the Champions League final in Paris, held in Stadets, France. Chaos, tear gas and confusion led to more than 35 minutes delaying the kickoff between Liverpool and Real Madrid. And it could have been very bad.
After that incident in 2022, UEFA took responsibility in a statement, saying, “The Turnstyle at the end of Liverpool was blocked by thousands of fans who purchased fake tickets that were not working for Turnstyle.”
This is a story of Liverpool fans being eaten before.
Surviving family and friends suffered from the injustice of being held responsible for Liverpool fans. The Hillsboro Family Support Group has spent decades requesting further investigations take place.
A 2016 Hillsboro investigation found that Liverpool supporters cleared supporters of fraud, feeling that “the fans’ actions did not cause or contribute to tragedy,” and those who lost their lives were “illegally killed.”
Furthermore, “The actions of Commander Match David Duckenfield’s Superintendent’s actions amounted to “gross negligence” as he violated his duty to care for the fans. ”
The truth about the incident at Stud, France came out earlier than Hillsboro, but the Reds’ reputation was once again questioned and stained.
In July 2022, the French Senate took responsibility for Liverpool fans and denounced France’s decision-making. Additionally, an independent review panel commissioned by UEFA published a report in 2023, which discovered that it was “primary responsibility for the failures that led to disasters.” Furthermore, “There was no evidence of an unusually large number of ‘tickingless supporters’ or supporters with invalid tickets.” ”
The crashes in 1985, 1989, 2022 and now in the parade of open-top buses are connected by tragedy, but the causes and direct aftermath of Monday were no different from previous events.
“Given other cases of what happened to Liverpool, the city and the club, many of them stem from the major dazzling institutional failures that continue to be covered up,” Anfield rap’s Neil Atkinson told CNN Sports. “In this example, there is the only single person who acts in a certain way and is subject to institutional transparency.
“I don’t think we should draw a line from other events in Liverpool’s past because it’s not like that.
“One thing you’re saying is, ‘bad things happen near Liverpool supporters.’ But apart from that, there is no other aspect of commonality in shape, shape, shape or shape,” Atkinson emphasized.
Liverpool joins in the face of tragedy
Liverpool is a city with a strong sense of self and community. The scorers protect each other.
“With Liverpool, that sort of solidarity is… just a little different and undoubtedly showing and showing in a more positive way,” Atkinson told CNN.
Medical staff and emergency services responded quickly amid fear and confusion. The restaurant opened its doors to become a makeshift medical centre. Bystanders provided help.
That bond goes beyond being a supporter of Scous and Liverpool, Atkinson said.
While Atkinson loves Liverpool and believes it is a “exceptional place”, he also firmly believes that the people of the parade (rumorized to be over 1.5 million) have done most of the things they have done in similar circumstances.
“It’s worth pointing out that there are no 1.5 million people in Liverpool. Many of the people there are also not from Liverpool. So when you leave the city area of Liverpool, are you going to believe they will be less compassionate?
“I think people who looked after each other and were caring in the moment did that because no matter where they came from, they were just ordinary people who have a certain value,” the podcaster and writer stated, “And that set of values chimes in the city. But overall, I have a great belief in the ordinary people of the world.”
This included the Mowgli restaurant, which opened its doors on Water Street and later thanked the staff.
The therapist also commented on a post by Mowgli that offers free services to staff who may be struggling after the event.
“Reactions to such a shocking incident from so many people show the best of our area during a very difficult time. Skother responded as he knew it provided food and drinks, warmth and rest,” Mayor Rotherham said in a video posted to X.
Defender Trent Alexander Arnold, a born-family breeder of Liverpool, said in his Instagram story after the parade.
Everton, a fierce local rival, finished the post with similar sentiment to the mayor’s people, posting a plea for bystanders to send information to Merseyside police. “We’re standing together.”
For some, the joy felt that most of the day was easy to focus on, given that the updates from people hospitalized at the time of writing were positive.
“The most important thing in processing is that everyone is in repair. It makes it easier to coordinate and process the events of the day within many pageants of the day,” Atkinson said of handling the extreme emotions of the day.
There is concern that a highly publicized tragedy merely feeds the false narrative of continuing to spread tragedy and people who hold old stereotypes, but the response online and in the media has been largely positive.
“Liverpool as a unique and unique place in the British sky is undoubtedly true, but Liverpool, which the British and British sky see as opposed to, doesn’t think it will stand up any more scrutiny,” Atkinson said.
“I think those old ratios I think are actually getting more outdated, and I think you’ll end up in a situation where you’re warm and caring for the city because of events like Monday, with one five million coming to Liverpool.”
