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Global Soccer: 30 Years After Heysel Tragedy, Pain Lingers for Families

LONDON — While the media attention was focused on FIFA in Zurich last Friday, the players of Juventus were going to church in Turin, Italy.

Their prayers had nothing to do with facing Lionel Messi and Barcelona in the Champions League final this Saturday. They attended a special Mass offered in memory of the Heysel Stadium tragedy 30 years ago in Brussels.

Thinking back to that month in 1985 still sends tremors down the spine. On May 11, a fire at Bradford City’s stadium had killed 56 spectators and injured 256, leaving some with hideous scars.