Hillsborough – A human tragedy

Thoughts about a black day in football

Emdad Rahman: 22 years after one of the worst footballing tragedies in living memory, I will be at Anfield tomorrow to pay my respects to 96 humans who lost their lives following their beloved team.

It was 15th April 1989. As a wide eyed, star struck teenager, I’d spent the morning of that Saturday excitedly preparing for what in my mind would be an epic semi final against the great Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest. Both teams played free flowing football, and a treat was in store for fans and neutrals alike. The Semi wasn’t live and until the evening highlights, I would be tuning into Grandstand. There was no internet, cell phones or any other means of being kept informed of the state of play. I didn’t even know wireless football commentary existed at that time, so missed out on the joys of footy on the radio.

It was just after 3pm that the initial inaccurate reports suggested “crowd trouble,” but it soon became apparent that it was a whole lot more than that. Our TV hangout area was one of disbelief, and I sat there glued to the black and white TV we had, trying to make sense of the flurry of information that was being transmitted via the little old box. My brain was in overdrive and jumbled, whilst the electric signals were not striking base. I experienced an absurd teenage thought that this was a sick staged prank. It wasn’t.

Until my communication with Anne Williams, my only personal brush with Hillsborough fans that black day had been my mates older Brother and four friends, who had travelled to Sheffield that day hoping to join in the banter. Their family spent an agonising three hours anguishing over Big Brother, until he called from a payphone to say that they hadn’t made it that far after breaking down on the M1 near Leicester.

The next few weeks were like a bad dream. As a 13 year old, the public outpouring of grief was something I had never seen before. I was amazed at the solidarity of people and awed by the kindness of the human spirit. It’s a memory that has stuck in the minds, and shaped the personality of millions of people.

It seemed Liverpool were destined to win the F.A Cup, which they did after beating Forest in the replayed semi, and during an epic all Merseyside final at Wembley.

I’d like to recommend a very good book by Dr Phil Scraton, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies, and Director of the Centre for Studies in Crime and Social Justice at Edge Hill University College.

Dr Scraton’s book: Hillsborough: The Truth is an extremely harrowing read. It recounts first hand accounts of survivors and families of the dead.

Lastly, I have a request to football fans. Football tragedies are human tragedies, be it at Munich, Ibrox, Heysel, Bradford, Hillsborough.

It is a tragedy that a minority of fans engage in dishonouring the memory of those who have fallen. Those who have left us cannot defend themselves from the onslaught perpetrated by unsavoury elements amongst us.

"De mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est."

"Do not speak ill of the dead, nothing unless good."

Respect the dead, revere them, honour them.