Italian press criticises Juve fans

ITALY’S media praised Liverpool supporters for their tributes to the victims of the Heysel tragedy, while criticising the behaviour of a section of Juventus fans at Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final at Anfield.

The sides met for the first time since the Heysel Stadium tragedy 20 years ago in which 39 fans, mainly Italian, were killed when a wall collapsed following crowd trouble at the European Cup final in Brussels.

A pre-game ceremony on Tuesday featured Liverpool fans taking a banner to the Juve supporters with the message “in memory and friendship”.

Fans from both clubs staged a football match in the city before kick-off while there was a rendition of Liverpool’s anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

However, a section of Juventus fans turned their backs on the ceremony and whistles and boos were heard.

The Turin-based daily La Stampa headlined its report on the Heysel tributes: “At the festival of friendship, ignorance wins”.

The efforts of the home club were praised but it was reported that Juve supporters had insulted the mayor of Liverpool when he greeted them at the airport.

The paper also criticised the response of Juventus fans in the stadium to the Kop’s raising of a card-based mural carrying the slogan ‘Amicizia’ (friendship).

“They turned their backs and raised their middle finger. The enormous difference was there to see,” reported the paper.

Gazzetta dello Sport gave lengthy coverage to the Liverpool Echo’s front-page apology for Heysel on Tuesday and reported the efforts of Liverpool fans to “embrace” the visiting Italians.

“It was an embrace that died against a wall of indifference, which was unfortunately coloured black and white,” said Gazzetta.