Two survivors from the Hillsborough disaster have taken their own lives since their trauma was 'retriggered' by the events at the Champions League final in Paris.
Liverpool 's clash with Real Madrid at the Stade De France in May was overshadowed by the horrific scenes outside the ground in the lead up to kick-off, where fans were penned into tight tunnels and dangerous bottlenecks with long queues while police sprayed supporters with tear gas and turnstiles remained closed for hours. The scenes drew awful comparisons with the disaster at Hillsborough in 1989 which caused the death of 97 Liverpool fans.
Peter Scarfe from Hillsborough Survivors Support now claims two of the survivors on that day have now died after taking their own lives following the traumatic events in Paris. "This year alone, we've had three suicides," Scarfe said at the Hillsborough Law Now event on Monday, according to the Liverpool Echo. "That's three too many.
"One was just before the anniversary because he didn't want to face another anniversary, two of them were retriggers from Stade de France. The memory of 1989 has come back to haunt them because the events at the Stade de France have many points in common with those at Hillsborough.
"In both cases there were crowd movements complicated by bottlenecks, people pressed against each other under a tunnel, blocked turnstiles preventing entry into the stadium and above all false charges later."
Scarfe added that the Hillsborough Survivors Support group had helped fans receive therapy following the events in Paris, which are still under investigation by UEFA. "We shouldn't be doing this, it shouldn't be happening," he added.
According to The Mail, neither fan attended the Champions League final but the incidents 'retriggered' old trauma from Hillsborough. The supporters, aged 52 and 63, were in attendance at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989, when a devastating crush in Hillsborough's Leppings Lane end led to tragedy.
The Champions League final on May 28 earlier this year descended into chaos ahead of the game, with the kick-off being delayed as a result. It took fans hours to get into the stadium, with UEFA initially blaming supporters with 'fake tickets' for the hold up.
Those accusations have since been proven to be false, as an investigation by French authorities found 'significant failures' in UEFA's organisation of the event, while French Sport minister Amelie Oudea-Castera issued an apology to Liverpool fans, writing: "We regret that some of them had to witness scenes that have no place at all at a sporting event, all the more so as we are aware that it may have brought back particularly painful memories from your club's history."
The false accusations and perceived smear campaign by UEFA and the event organisers left Liverpool fans fearing a repeat of history, having battled for decades for justice to finally be absolved of any blame after a police cover-up of the events at Hillsborough.
UEFA's management of the event has come under intense scrutiny, with some fans even attacked and mugged by gangs outside the stadium after leaving the match. According to a report by The Guardian, more than 1,700 Liverpool supporters have reported suffering physical injuries or psychological trauma because of the Champions League final, with the governing body now facing a lawsuit for damages.
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