The goalkeeper of that Juve team recounts the tragedy: “It was all surreal. At a certain point the injured came into our locker room, the doctor treated them all, we were scared, then…”
Journalist
December 31st – 9.40am – MILANO
We are republishing the interviews most appreciated by readers of the Gazzetta dello Sport in 2025. The one with Stefano Tacconi was published on 22 May.
“I often think about Heysel, especially at night when I struggle to sleep. And I still remember everything, as if it were yesterday. Instead next week it will already be 40 years since that sad evening.” Stefano Tacconi still gets chills: on 29 May 1985 he was defending Juventus’ goal in the Champions Cup final which they won 1-0 against Liverpool, but went down in history for the tragedy that occurred before the kick-off in the stands of the Brussels stadium which cost the lives of 39 people: 32 Italians, 4 Belgians, 2 French and a Northern Irishman. Drama caused by the English hooligans, who overwhelmed sector Z, where many Juventus supporters were, ending up crushed against the balustrades, suffocated by the mass of people or falling from the stands after the collapse of a wall. “You can’t die for a football match. It’s a suffering that all of us have carried with us for 40 years and will never abandon us.”
What if he closes his eyes and thinks back to May 29, 1985?
“The fear comes back to me, even on the pitch. Especially when I found myself defending the goal near sector Z, completely empty. But the worst moments were those before the match.”
“At a certain point several fans arrived in the locker room: they were injured and bloodied. Our doctor gave aid to everyone. We players were already in the shower, scared and sad. At that moment we knew of a person who had ended up crushed in the crowd, while we were only told about the 39 deaths after the match, around midnight. In any case, no one was thinking about football and the Champions Cup final any more. But then a general from the Belgian police force reached us, who effectively forced us onto the pitch for reasons of public order. So we reciprocated and went out onto the lawn in a surreal atmosphere. Trapattoni was traumatized by what had happened, like Agnelli’s son and all of us.”
Win 1-0 against Liverpool thanks to a penalty from Platini.
“And also to my saves. I think it was the best performance of my career, but we can’t talk about it because unfortunately the evening was dramatic.”
What do you remember about the post match?
“We immediately returned to the changing rooms, without the Cup. We only lifted it later. And only because the general himself told us that we had to return to the pitch and show the trophy to the fans still present in the stands. Again for a question of public order”. In these 40 years have you talked about Heysel with Platini, Tardelli and the other Juventus teammates? “It happens often, but the thing that makes me feel better is talking about it in supporters’ clubs. I think it’s the best way to remember the 39 victims. We need to remember them every day.”
Have you met any relatives of the victims in recent years?
“I am particularly close to Franco Martelli’s family. They are Umbrian like me, I met and hugged their relatives shortly after the tragedy. Franco was from Todi and was a member of my club.”
Was the Juventus team that reached the Champions Cup final at Heysel the strongest ever?
“It’s difficult to say. She was certainly the angriest and hungriest, also because several players were returning from the disappointment of the Champions Cup final lost in 1983 against Magath’s Hamburg. We had a squad: Platini, Tardelli, Scirea… I also often dream of Gaetano and I miss him very much. We were two completely different people, but we had a very good relationship. Scirea only received one fine over the years at Juventus and do you know why? Because it wasn’t his fault. Gaetano, but mine”.
“One day Gaetano asked me to accompany him to training because he had the car at the mechanic’s. I said yes, but then I forgot to pick him up. And there were no cell phones yet… Scirea showed up at the pitch half an hour late and took Boniperti’s fine. I offered to pay it, unlike Gaetano I was a accustomed. Once I did the math: I must have spent 200 million old lire on fines during my time at Juventus. Now I like to laugh about it, also because life in recent years has taught me that there are much more important things.”
Three years have passed since the brain aneurysm and the great fear of April 2022: how are you now?
“Better. I still do a lot of physiotherapy and move around with a crutch. I’ve had a tough time, but I’m moving forward. I watch a lot of the ball, even though with all those backward passes I often get bored during matches. I will always be grateful to my family, to the many football and non-football friends. And obviously also to the fans who have never let me lack affection and support in these three years.”
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