Justice at last

[grypwr85]

Were you there that day? Why does it seem to have such a large impact on you? I don't mean that in a horrible way but I'm curious why it forms such a large part of your personality online at least.
I hope the ruling brings some comfort to the families of the departed R.I.P.

I still remember clearly watching it all unfold live on RTE as an 8 year old and it was horrendous then but more so as the years went by and I learned what really happened.
I think the reason it has some sort of affect on football fans, not only Liverpool fans, is because it could have happened to any group of supporters. If the Nottingham Forest fans had been given the Leppings Lane end that day, they would have suffered the tragedy. If the other Semi Final had been played at Hillsborough instead of Villa Park, it could have been Everton or Norwich fans. This tragedy was looming for years as many older football fans who attended games in the 70s and 80s have stated. Had it been a few years later in the 90s, when it was more accessible for Irish fans to go to games in England, particularly match trips organized by local youth teams, it could have been someone you know. As unlikely as that scenario may have been, it wasn't outside the realms of possibility and that's why all football fans are somewhat, however little, affected by the fact that 96 people went to watch their team and never came home. JFT96.

[Sexy Sandy 69]

I don't think it has much to do with supporting English teams, personally for me, it's the fact that it was a huge loss of innocent lives, members of the general public going along to watch a game of footie & 96 not returning home to their significant others. I, cannot fail, to have empathy for those families, I cannot imagine what it must've be like, waiting for loved ones to return, families torn apart, some members surviving, some not. A tragic loss. I, sincerely hope that this judgement can now finally mean closure for those families who have never given up, who have carried on fighting even when at some stages, I presume they would've thought that the odds against them winning, weren't favourable.

Sandy x

[Spanky Panky]

I still remember clearly watching it all unfold live on RTE as an 8 year old and it was horrendous then but more so as the years went by and I learned what really happened.
I think the reason it has some sort of affect on football fans, not only Liverpool fans, is because it could have happened to any group of supporters. If the Nottingham Forest fans had been given the Leppings Lane end that day, they would have suffered the tragedy. If the other Semi Final had been played at Hillsborough instead of Villa Park, it could have been Everton or Norwich fans. This tragedy was looming for years as many older football fans who attended games in the 70s and 80s have stated. Had it been a few years later in the 90s, when it was more accessible for Irish fans to go to games in England, particularly match trips organized by local youth teams, it could have been someone you know. As unlikely as that scenario may have been, it wasn't outside the realms of possibility and that's why all football fans are somewhat, however little, affected by the fact that 96 people went to watch their team and never came home. JFT96.

I don't think it has much to do with supporting English teams, personally for me, it's the fact that it was a huge loss of innocent lives, members of the general public going along to watch a game of footie & 96 not returning home to their significant others. I, cannot fail, to have empathy for those families, I cannot imagine what it must've be like, waiting for loved ones to return, families torn apart, some members surviving, some not. A tragic loss. I, sincerely hope that this judgement can now finally mean closure for those families who have never given up, who have carried on fighting even when at some stages, I presume they would've thought that the odds against them winning, weren't favourable.

Sandy x

Thank you both, they are very thoughtful explanations and I suppose are at the heart of why it affects people so deeply. That what should have been a nice family day out became such a tragedy is awful. I too feel sympathy for the families that lost loved ones that day.
Some of my empathy becomes eroded when I hear Liverpiol fans singing to United fans about planes crashing on runways and United fans singing back about Hillsborough and Heysel. And those are mostly lifelong hardcore fans. I am a cynic by nature though but I hope today brings closure to those who mourn.

[grypwr85]

Thank you both, they are very thoughtful explanations and I suppose are at the heart of why it affects people so deeply. That what should have been a nice family day out became such a tragedy is awful. I too feel sympathy for the families that lost loved ones that day.
Some of my empathy becomes eroded when I hear Liverpiol fans singing to United fans about planes crashing on runways and United fans singing back about Hillsborough and Heysel. And those are mostly lifelong hardcore fans. I am a cynic by nature though but I hope today brings closure to those who mourn.

With regards to the fans singing about other teams tragedies, that's just despicable behaviour but unfortunately there will always be that in football between rival teams. I would hope in the future we will see permanent bans handed out to fans who are caught behaving this way.

Back to Hillsborough, the fact that it was covered up for over 2 decades, a cover up which went right up to the British government, is why it gets so much attention over other football tragedies. I'm not saying whether this is right or wrong, but it's been more than just a football disaster, it was also a justice disaster.