5 Most Disturbing Things That Ever Happened In Football

The Hillsborough Disaster — 97 Fans Never Came Home (1989)

On April 15, 1989, Liverpool fans were crushed to death on the steel-fenced terraces of Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium during an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. A crush developed outside the ground, and police opened an exit gate to relieve the pressure—but thousands of fans flooded into pens 3 and 4, which were already full. The official combined capacity was 2,200, but more than 3,000 supporters were admitted. At 3:06 PM, a policeman ran onto the pitch and ordered the game to be stopped. By then, 97 Liverpool fans had been crushed to death, and hundreds more were injured. The disaster changed English football forever, leading to all-seater stadiums and new safety regulations.