Hillsborough disaster

April 15, 1989

At an FA Cup semifinal in Sheffield, English police directed Liverpool fans into overcrowded pens behind the goal, then failed to open the gates as the crush became lethal. Ninety-seven people were crushed to death against the fences. For twenty-seven years authorities blamed the fans. A 2016 inquiry finally established the truth: a catastrophic failure of policing. British football changed forever, with all-seater stadiums.