5 Most Disturbing Things That Ever Happened In Football
The Bradford City Stadium Fire — 56 Lives Lost In Five Minutes (1985)
On May 11, 1985, Bradford City were playing their final game of the season against Lincoln City at Valley Parade. Before kick-off, the club had been presented with the Division Three Championship trophy. Just before half-time, a fire broke out in the main stand. Within five minutes, the entire 77-year-old wooden structure was engulfed in flames. Fifty-six people died—two of them Lincoln City supporters—and more than 200 were taken to hospital. The cause is believed to have been a dropped cigarette that ignited rubbish under the wooden stand. The disaster led to new legislation banning new wooden grandstands and requiring safer stadiums across Britain. A day that should have been a celebration became one of the worst fire disasters in British football history.
