On May 11, exactly thirty years ago, one of the most tragic sports tragedies of all time occurred. On that day in 1985, the "Bradford City" team was celebrating - the last game of the season in the English third division table was just a formality for them, as the team had already secured not only promotion to the second division, but also the league title. However, the celebration at Bradford turned into a terrible tragedy at the end of the first half. The dark decade of English football The ninth decade of the previous century was perhaps the most tragic period in the history of English football, and 1985 will forever be remembered as the darkest year of this decade, or perhaps even the entire history of English football. It was the year when hooliganism became uncontrollable and showed a catastrophic state of some stadiums like never before. In this decade, the most hooligan-associated club in England, "Millwall," began to rise. In March of 1985, during an FA Cup match between "Luton Town" and "Millwall" teams, hooligans caused huge riots. 81 people were injured, including 31 policemen. Chairs and other objects were thrown at the officers, and the players had to run to the locker rooms hoping that nobody would be harmed. All of this happened in plain sight, as the match was broadcasted by the BBC. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. On the morning of May 11th, another riot broke out, and this time it was not possible to avoid victims. During the Second Division match between "Leeds United" and "Birmingham City," a young "Leeds United" fan lost his life. However, all of this was overshadowed by the events in Bradford on the same day. Antique "Valley Parade" stadium When we think of football stadium tragedies, two names immediately come to mind - "Heysel" (by the way, this tragedy occurred just a few weeks before the Bradford fire) and "Hillsborough," while the fire at the "Valley Parade" stadium is somewhat forgotten, as it was relatively blameless compared to the mentioned tragedies. It was not related to police or fan violence. The "Valley Parade" stadium was opened in magnificent 1903 and until the tragedy, it had only undergone cosmetic changes. The main stand had not been touched in the 82 years of its existence. The main stand of the stadium was simply built from boards, and the stadium pillars and other structures were completely outdated. The "Bradford City" club had been warned multiple times - the "Valley Parade" stadium was dangerous, and an accident could happen at any moment. The stadium's problems did not elude the Bradford Council. In one letter, they urged the club to reconstruct the stadium as soon as possible. In another, they warned that even a discarded cigarette posed a great fire hazard. The "Bradford City" club did not react adequately. Neither did the English Football League, which at the time did not push for high football stadium standards. It seemed that everyone was oblivious to the fact that the "Valley Parade" was essentially in an emergency condition. This negligence on May 11th led to a terrible tragedy. The celebration turned into a tragedy Before the match with the "Lincoln City" team, the "Bradford City" team received the title of champions of the third division. The "Valley Parade" stadium was a hive of activity - people gathered here to celebrate one of the most successful seasons in the club's history. What happened on the field didn't matter much. Even a victory for "Lincoln City" would not have spoiled the celebration. The first 40 minutes passed calmly, and neither team created any significant scoring opportunities. Around the 44th minute, a small flame ignited at the edge of the main stand, causing panic among the spectators. The situation was further complicated by strong winds. The video footage shows the flame visible for the first time at 3:44:28 pm local time. The fire spread so quickly that within fifteen seconds, a small flame turned into a huge fire. By 3:46 pm, the main stand of the "Valley Parade" stadium had turned into a true inferno. Those who watched the match from the stands near the field were lucky. As soon as they saw the fire, people in the front rows started rushing onto the field, thus escaping death. However, not everyone was fortunate. Those seated higher up had at best a minute and a half to escape. People had to climb down through the stands - they were not even thinking about the risk of falling on their backs or heads and getting injured. They just wanted to stay alive. Not everyone succeeded - 56 people perished in the flames. One of the most striking moments of the tragedy - a burning man entering the field - was captured by television cameras. Those around him tried to extinguish the burning man with their jackets and coats. Unfortunately, the medics were unable to save him, and he became one of the 56 people who lost their lives at the stadium that day. "The unfortunate accident" It is believed that the fire was ignited by a fully extinguished cigarette. Underneath the wooden stadium structures lay piles of litter, which the stadium caretakers did not bother to clean up. The still-lit cigarette slipped through a gap in the wooden stands and ignited the litter. Eventually, the fire reached the stands, and what happened next is history. The "Valley Parade" fire was a result of unforgivable carelessness. However, to this day, no one has determined who is responsible for this tragedy. Coroner James Turnbull suggested treating this case as manslaughter. This was possible because the "Bradford City" club had received several warnings about the emergency condition of the stadium, so it is reasonable to assume that the tragedy could have been anticipated, and the club could have taken appropriate action to prevent it. In the end, J. Turnbull concluded that the "Valley Parade" fire was simply an unfortunate accident. The jurors and the sworn in officials agreed. The search for culprits ended there. Later, some of the victims were able to claim compensation from the club. Unlearned lessons One of the saddest aspects of this tragedy is that the lessons of the fire were not learned. After this tragedy, it was recommended that all stadiums be inspected and safety certificates be issued. It was also suggested to completely abandon wooden stands and widen the fences around the stadiums, instead of simply abandoning them and making the evacuation easier in case of disasters. No one listened. If they had, perhaps on April 15, 1989, the FA Cup semifinal match between "Liverpool" and "Nottingham Forest" at the "Hillsborough" stadium would not have ended in the deaths of 96 "Liverpool" fans. It took an even larger scale tragedy and another 96 innocent victims for serious attention to be paid to the problem of poor condition of English stadiums. Only after "Hillsborough" were standing places completely abandoned, wooden stands were banned, and attention was directed towards narrow fences and metal structures separating sectors, into which dozens of "Liverpool" fans were crushed. All of this could have been done after the fire at the "Valley Parade" stadium. Paulius Viluckas - I have been closely following football for over 7 years, and during that time I have accumulated a lot of knowledge and facts that I want to share. I am particularly interested in the leagues of England, Spain, Germany, and especially Italy. I am happy if my articles help at least one person who is not interested in football to become interested in this sport.
15min.lt, P.Viluckas
