Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Always Remember


     
       Before I dive into today’s topic, I want to send my condolences and prayers to all those that were effected by the tragedy in Boston yesterday.  Truly a sad day and may the lost be remembered, but never forgotten.

       The events that occurred yesterday really had me thinking. Events like these are so upsetting and it takes a sick person to carry out these horrific acts. Is this an act of terror? Probably, but I’m not going to judge, discriminate, or point fingers at any one group of people that could have done this. 

       The Boston Marathon is the biggest and oldest marathon in the world. World class runners come from all over the world for this special day. For many it’s not about winning; it’s about completing a goal or achieving a milestone. After watching the news and continuous coverage of what was happening in Boston, I began thinking of other tragedies in sports. Today I’m writing about these other tragedies, not to compare them to Boston, but so that others can learn and never forget the innocent people that left their houses to enjoy a day at the stadium supporting their team and never returned home. 

Sicilian Derby 2007

Shortly after the Derby in the streets of Catania

       On February 2, 2007 Catania faced Sicilian rivals Palermo in the annual Sicilian derby. Palermo fans began throwing flares and firecrackers on the field and the police retaliated by throwing tear gas at the Palermo supporters. The game was ultimately won 2-1 by Palermo.
       After the match, Catania fans began attacking police. They charged at them and they began to fall because they were so heavily outnumbered. As a result, 40 year old Catania policeman Filippo Raciti was killed. 
       Following this event, Serie A was halted in February. Catania were forced to play their remaining games at neutral sites and there were no fans in attendance for their games. 

Port Said Stadium Disaster

       This riot took place in Port Said, Egypt, on February 1, 2012. The match between Al-Masry and Al Ahly had finished minutes before riot began. Al-Masry supporters rushed the field and began destroying the stadium after their team had won. The Al-Masry supporters began attacking Al-Ahly fans and players. 
       Once the final whistle was blown the attacks began. They had knives, swords (yes you’re reading that correctly), stones, and fireworks.
       This massive attack left 79 people dead, and nearly 1200 people injured. 
       I did not post a picture of this because all of the pictures I researched were too graphic and I did not feel they were appropriate to post on here. 


The Hillsborough Disaster

A picture of the Hillsborough Disaster

       This is one of the worst disasters in soccer history. The Hillsborough disaster took place during an F.A. Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989. Before the game was played many felt that the stadium was not big enough to hold the large crowd that was expected and everyone’s worst fear came true. 
       At the beginning of the game Liverpool supporters entered from only two gates on one side of the stadium; this was the first problem. There were so many supporters and not enough turnstiles for them to enter. The police were overwhelmed so they opened the gates and began letting everyone in. This led to a massive crowd of people being crammed into a small space behind the Liverpool goal.
       So many people were crammed together, people tried hopping the fence and invading the field just so they could breathe. Endless people were being trampled and crushed. This led to the death of 96 people. 
       When investigations began the police claimed that Liverpool supporters “rushed the gates”. This was never the case. For years Liverpool supporters have been blamed for the Hillsborough Disaster. It was not until December of 2012 that a court case was re-opened and proved that the “Liverpool 96” were innocent. 
       The Hillsborough Disaster was represented yesterday at the Boston Marathon.  The picture of the man below is the reason I’m writing this blog. The tragedies I talked about today are an unfortunate part of sports history. An event that happened 24 years ago is still remembered by everyone in Liverpool. The tragedy in Boston will never be forgotten and will unite the city like it has in England. 





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