MX23RW : Thursday, October 6 16:47:27| >> :120:4342:4342:

Two Hillsborough survivors 'committed suicide after Champions League final chaos'

Two Hillsborough survivors 'committed suicide after Champions League final chaos'
© Reuters
Two Liverpool fans who survived the Hillsborough disaster reportedly committed suicide after attending the Champions League final after being "retriggered" by events in Paris.

Two survivors of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 have reportedly committed suicide since the Champions League final earlier this year, having been "retriggered" by the events in Paris.

May's meeting between Liverpool and Real Madrid was overshadowed by chaotic scenes outside the Stade de France as thousands of supporters were directed into narrow tunnels and held there for hours with no information from authorities.

French police tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed supporters indiscriminately as the vast majority of them waited peacefully to get into the stadium, with many still stuck outside when the match was due to kick off despite arriving when advised to, more than three hours earlier.

Heavy crowding in an underpass and at the gates of the stadium led to fears of a crush happening through no fault of the supporters, as was the case when 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives at an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough in 1989.

While such tragic scenes were avoided on the day in Paris, a Hillsborough Survivors Support group said at an event on Monday that two Liverpool fans - one aged 52 and the other 63 - had since killed themselves after attending the Champions League final in the French capital.

Suppoters and riot police pictured outside the Stade de France before the Champions League final on May 28, 2022© Reuters

"This year alone, we've had three suicides. That's three too many. One was just before the anniversary because he didn't want to face another anniversary, two of them were retriggers from Stade de France," Peter Scarfe said at the event.

"The memory of 1989 has come back to haunt them because the events at the Stade de France have many points in common with those at Hillsborough.

"In both cases there were crowd movements complicated by bottlenecks, people pressed against each other under a tunnel, blocked turnstiles preventing entry into the stadium and above all false charges later."

In another parallel to the Hillsborough tragedy, the authorities appeared to try to shift the blame onto Liverpool supporters in the aftermath of the issues, first accusing fans of turning up late and then claiming that tens of thousands had turned up without tickets.

Almost 2,000 Liverpool fans are understood to be suing UEFA over their organisation of the final due to injuries or psychological trauma they suffered as a result of the situation.

Members of the media and families of the players also experienced trouble getting into the stadium, while fans of both sides were subjected to attacks by armed local gangs after the match.

ID:495685:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4021:

Click here for more stories about Peter Scarfe

Click here for more stories about Liverpool

How you voted: Liverpool vs Real Madrid

Liverpool
56.3%
Real Madrid
43.7%
1054
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland scores their second goal on September 14, 2022
Read Next:
Top 10 Champions League goals of the week including Haaland, Mbappe, Sterling
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
Read more about Peter Scarfe Football
rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal87012081221
2Manchester CityMan City86202992020
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs85211910917
4Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton7421148614
5Chelsea74121010013
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd74031114-312
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle8251128411
8Fulham83231315-211
9Liverpool7241189910
10Brentford82421512310
11Everton824277010
12Leeds UnitedLeeds7232101009
13Bournemouth8233619-139
14Aston Villa8224610-48
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham821559-47
16Southampton8215813-57
17Crystal Palace7133811-36
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves813439-66
19Leicester CityLeicester81161422-84
20Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest8116621-154

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Match previews - Daily
Transfer Talk Daily
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!