The 32nd anniversary of the Heysel Stadium disaster is sadly upon us, but over the recent past the remembrance has had a different feel to previous occasions because it embodied a change in attitude and approach from those within Juventus.
Since the tragedy the number 39 has been used against Juventini by certain supporter groups among rivals. The digit has been a taboo and a taunt. But Bianconeri fans use the example of Liverpool to foster hope.
The Anfield side lost 96 supporters at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, but transformed the figure into a tribute via flags, a subtle motif on their kit and a redesign of their badge.
Beppe Franzo, President of Juventus fan association “Quelli di Via Filadelfia”, who was at Heysel, says: “for years, under the presidency of Giampiero Boniperti, the tragedy was downplayed by the directors. This changed radically when Andrea Agnelli, a fan as much as a president, decided to re-appraise the club’s stance over the atrocity.”
The choreography at the home game against Napoli two season ago was the culmination of this campaign. Fans in the Curva Sud displayed cards featuring the names of every victim and a large “+39”.
“The idea to add a plus sign and use +39 as a source of pride came because we were tired of the constant use of the number by fans of other clubs to insult us. Rather than an insult we see it as a positive, our 39 martrys, our angels, an integral part of our history. And +39 is the international dialling code for Italy. It’s a reminder that almost all of the victims were Italian,” adds Franzo.
Liverpool added the eternal flames to their badge as a permanent reminder of those lost at Hillsborough. In Turin opinion is divided over a similar gesture. “There have been several painful events in our history. Andrea Fortunato, the gifted left-back who died of leukaemia aged 23 in 1995, and Riccardo Neri and Alessio Ferramosca, two youth players who drowned in December 2006.
“Additions to the crest referencing Heysel might create a hierarchy or give one tragedy more importance. I don’t think the club want to do that. That’s a view I share,” says Franzo.
Journalist, broadcaster and Juventus TV presenter Simone Stenti, also at the ground in Brussels that night, sees it differently. “I would like it a lot if Juventus made such a gesture to the angels of Heysel. Liverpool remodelled their badge, I don’t see why Juve can’t do something similar [Interview was conducted before Juventus changed their logo]. Or the club could dedicate a curva to them. Change the name of the Curva Filadelfia. Something big and official,” says Stenti.
He also has a novel idea: “I would give the number 39 shirt to the captain every season. When teams retire numbers I think it’s silly. You pay tributes with presences, not absences. Imagine Gianluigi Buffon wearing the number 39. What a powerful image.
“I don’t believe there is rating for the tragedies Juve have suffered. A tribute to those who died at Heysel wouldn’t downgrade or take anything away from our other terrible experiences. There is a pre and post-Heysel. The other events didn’t change the history of Juventus. It would make those who use the number as a slur against seem even smaller and more pathetic,” concludes Stenti.
The process of altering logos at a large organisation is complicated and bureaucratic. But the fact that the board have embraced a new mentality towards the memory of those who perished in Belgium is a heartening development.
