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Minute's silence, delayed kickoffs to mark anniversary of 1989 tragedy |
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April
15, 2000
LONDON, APR 14 (AP) - Fans at every league game in England will observe a minute's silence and the kickoffs will be put back to 3:06 on Saturday as a mark of respect to the 96 supporters who died in the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy.
The Football Association decided to mark the anniversary because this is the the first time since then that April 15 has fallen on a Saturday.
The fans died when hundreds of late-arriving Liverpool supporters were herded into an already crowded fenced-off area of Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium at the FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.
Because there was a fence preventing fans from escaping onto the field, the supporters at the front of the stand were crushed.
The tragedy happened with the game just a few minutes old. The reason that Saturday's kickoffs have been put back by six minutes is because 3:06 was the time the Liverpool-Nottingham Forest semifinal was halted.
Following an investigation, all fences were removed from soccer grounds in Britain to prevent similar tragedies.
"Football will be united on Saturday in paying our respects to all of those who lost their lives on that fateful day," said Premier League spokesman Mike Leigh. "Our thoughts go to all those fans and their families." |