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The Hillsborough Disaster: A Fatal Crush, Soccer Hooligans, and a Massive Cover-Up · DISGRACELAND

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Disgraceland as a production of Double Elvis. This is a
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: story about football, or should I say soccer for all
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: the Americans out there, and it's a story about one
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: of the deadliest tragedies in the history of sports, the
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Hillsborough Disaster. It's a story about not just death and destruction,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: but also about the press, and about hooligans, and about
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: justice and community, about fighting for what is right, about
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: screaming out at the top of your lungs as you,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: in tens of thousands engage in the ritual of singing
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: your club's fight song and in the process making great music.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Unlike that music I played for you at the top
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: of the show. That wasn't great music. That was a
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: preset loop for my melotron called Speaker Eddy Standoff MK One.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: I played you that loop because I can't afford the
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: rights to She Drives Me Crazy by the Fine Young Cannibals.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: And why would I play you that specific slice of
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: snare drum pop cheese. Could I afford it? Because that
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: was the number one song in America on April fifteenth,
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: nineteen eighty nine, And that was the day that a
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: soccer stadium was transformed into hell. On Earth and a
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: smear campaign against the game's most loyal supporters was hatched
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: on this episode. A fatal human crush, cooliking culture, a
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: war between the establishment and the people, and the memory
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: of the ninety seven those who lost their lives in
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: the Hillsborough disaster. I'm Jake Brennan and this is disgraceland.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: They say it started when King Edward was on the throne.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: It was thirteen forty nine. They didn't even use a ball,
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: they used the pigs bladder, and they didn't kick the
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: pigs bladder into a goal. They kicked it over the
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: opposing team's church. But this isn't about the origins of soccer.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: This is about the origins of violence. Yes, even way
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: back when Eddie was on the throne and watching those
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: inflated organs sale over church steeples, there were fights, organized fights,
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: so many fights that the monarchy had to ban the game.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: Hooliganism was born. Fast forward five hundred years cent new
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: monarch on the throne. Soccer was no longer banned because
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: time heals all wounds right wrong. In eighteen eighty five,
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Preston defeated Aston Villa five. No the Villa fans stormed
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: the pitch and a full riot broke out. One Villa
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: fan threw a stone at the head of a Preston
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: player point blank whack. The guy was unconscious for the
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: rest of the riot. Nineteen oh nine saw the legendary
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: stadium Hampton Park smashed half to pieces after a match
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: between rivals Glasgow and Celtic f C. By the nineteen eighties,
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: things were really out of control. Liverpool would event this
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: matched up in a European Cup final that has since
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: gone down in infamy. A mob charged the field in
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: the middle of the game. Why it didn't have to
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: be a specific reason. It was just part of the
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: whole hooligan thing, both sides winding each other up and
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: tearing each other down. On this occasion they tore down
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: more than each other. An entire stadium wall collapsed on
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Italian fans. Thirty nine people died that night. But perhaps
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: the most violent moment in the history of rowdy riding
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: unlawful crowds at soccer matches aka hoolianism, wasn't thrown with
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: a paunch, or tossed with a mall top cocktail, or
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: even stabbed with a knife. It was a smear campaign
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: against the innocent, and it all started on April fifteenth,
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: nineteen eighty nine. The morning sun drew a huge shadow
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: across the grass. Roger Marshall sat in one of the
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: hard plastic seats in the west stand of Hillsboro Stadium.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: He shuffled his ass to and fro. He didn't know
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: what was more uncomfortable the seat of the scratchy South
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: Yorkshire Police uniform he was wearing in front of where
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Marshall and the rest of the officer sat. Chief Superintendent
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: David Duckinfield walked back and forth like a Roman emperor,
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: his gait pompous and slow, his head held high. You
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: must take a firm hand in situations like this one.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: A firm hand, he said to his crew, and then
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: paused for a moment before adding, and a fair one.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: He was serious as hell. He needed each and every officer,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Marshall included, to understand what lay ahead of them. Some
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: of them weren't used to a situation like this. Soon
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: the stadium would be full capacity. Crowd. With a crowd
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: that large comes risk that you have to be wise
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: to every In any situation, people will be drunk, people
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: will fight, hooliganism is very real. Duckingfield assured them. He
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: stopped like he was trying to remember something, and then
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: continued his speech. I myself am experienced in this type
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: of policing. And the Duckingfield's voice drifted away, and then
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: his mind drifted along with it, back to another game,
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: into another time. The Hillsboro Stadium disappeared, and so did
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: the fresh Yorkshire air. Duckinfield was back at brahml Lane,
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: home of Sheffield United, was hot. People everywhere. Next to
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Duckinfield stood a senior officer Thorpe. In front of them
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: was a sea of blue. Chelsea was in town. Chelsea
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: fans came with a reputation violent, rabbit, fucking, ruthless. Duckingfield
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: and Thorpe could already feel it in the air. Thorpe
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: called it invisible violence. First you see it in the eyeballs.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: Glances are tossed around. Then it's a quick exchange of words,
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: what are you looking at, you fucking cunt? A bottle
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: gets thrown and then it's on Duckingfield and Thorpe watched
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: it unfold in real time. Some Sheffield United fans came
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: around the corner dressed in their trademark red and white,
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: and they taunted the Chelsea boys. Arms were thrown up
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: against chests, heads, cock hands curled into fists so tight
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: the fingernails dug into skin. Suddenly, all that red and
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: white was tangled up and blue. Thorpe didn't miss a beat.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: He dove headfirst into the scrum. Duckingfield, meanwhile, was shoved
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: from behind. He turned. A man with a buzz cut,
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: dressed all in blue, screamed filth half an inch from
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: his face. Duck and Field began to speak, but not
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: before the man shou shut him up with a huge,
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: huge wave of spit, howked up good and gooey in
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: his mouth, and then shockingly dispensed on the officer's face.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: The muke is settled across Duckingfield's eyelids. Duckingfield had no
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: choice but to react. He drew back his truncheon, but
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: before we could use it, the scrum that contained Thorpe
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: crashed into him. Both officers fell to the ground, and
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Ducanfield heard something crack, and then a splatter of blood
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: painted the asphalt red where he laid. He watched a
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: bottle with a rag sticking out from the neck drop
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: from the heavens. It hit the ground and burst into flames,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: and there was a clopping noise hoofs. A horse entered
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: his line of vision. He managed to pull himself up
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: to a sitting position, blood all over his hands. Wasn't
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: his blood? Well, at least he thought it wasn't his,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: And the officer on top of the horse was swinging
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: his truncheon violently into the sea of fans below him.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: A Chelsea boy broke free from the crowd and raised
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: something above his head. The fuck was that a gun?
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: A knife? Ducan fell caught a proper glimpse. The kid
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: had a fucking butcher's hook in his hands. He brought
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: the hook down through the air and quickly carved a
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: long slash into the horse's side. The beast cried out
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: and rose up, tossing the cop to the ground, and
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: another bottle smashed into the road. Flames licked the air,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: the stench of smoke and booze washed over everything. Thorpe
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: emerged from the ruckets screaming, his truncheon meeting one head,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: then another, then another, and then he saw a Chelsea
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: fan sitting in shock, bleeding from the head, his face
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: burnt black on one side, his eyes vacant, Thorpe made
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: a beeline for him. At first, Stuckenfield thought his colleague
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: was going to help the fan. Thorpe thrust his hand
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: into his police uniform pocket and produced a white cloth.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: But Thorpe didn't use the white cloth as a bandage
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: or a compress. Instead, he used it to wipe his
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: bloody truncheon clean, and then he drew it back into
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: the thick, smoky air and brought it down as hard
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: as he could onto the head of the stunned Chelsea fan.
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: Duckingfield watched the fan's limp body fall over onto the ground,
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: and then he watched as Thorpe screamed out loud in delight.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: The memory faded. Duckingfield was back in the present, standing
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: in front of a group of officers at Hillsborough Stadium.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: What had he been saying? Oh? Yes, he began to
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: speak again, and hope that the men wouldn't detect the
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: quiver in his voice. I was seeing games like this before.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: He said. We must be on top of things. We
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: must be firm. Roger Marshall watched as David Duckinfield emphasized
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: the word firm and saw something in the Chief Superintendent's eyes.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: At first he thought it was anger, but then he
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: realized it wasn't anger at all. It was fear. It
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: was the first time he saw that look on this day,
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: but wouldn't be the last, and it wouldn't be the
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: only look. Soon it'd all be making faces, and not
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: just faces of fear, something even worse than fear, horror.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: On the morning of April fifteenth, nineteen eighty nine, Margaret
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: Aspinall stood in the kitchen of her home in the
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: suburbs of Liverpool. She watched as her son, James walked
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: down the stairs with a familiar sight in his hands,
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: a gold chain necklace his pride and joy. James struggled
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: to put the chain on. Why don't you just leave
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: it on when you sleep, his mother asked him. I
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: wanted to stay as clean as possible, he said. Margaret
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: rolled her eyes, helped clip the chain around her son's
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: neck and said, your mom won't always be around to
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: do that for you. A few hours later, James arrived
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: at Hillsboro Stadium in Yorkshire to watch his favorite team,
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: Liverpool FC, take on Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semifinal.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: Like all FA Cup games near the end of come petition.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: This one was being played at a neutral stadium, hence
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: the reason they were here at Hillsborough. James stood outside
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: the arena and there was no trouble, no aggravation, no hooligans.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: He chatted up a front His chain dangled from his neck.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: John Barnes, midfielder for Liverpool, also wore a chain around
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: his neck. It bounced as he stepped off the team
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: bus and out into the Yorkshire air. He felt like pacing.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: The butterflies of game day were already fluttering in his stomach.
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: From high above the control box, South Yorkshire Police officer
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: Roger Marshall couldn't tell that Liverpool's midfielder was nervous. All
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: he knew was that he had the best seat in
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: the house. He and the other officers had just survived
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Chief Superintendent David Duckinfield's speech and now he looked out
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: over the pitch. He also had a front row seat
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: to a bank of CCTV sets with live images of
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: almost every corner of the stadium. On those screens, Marshall
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: saw nothing but faces. Outside the stadium, there were people everywhere,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: and one thing was obvious. They weren't getting enough of
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: those people into the stadium entrances. Something was wrong. Marshall
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: cleared his throat Chief Superintendent Ducanfield. His voice broke slightly
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: as he spoke downstairs. James Aspinall and his friend finally
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: made it into the ground, but it was a hell
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: of a squeeze to get in. You see, the way
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: the ground was set up that day at Hillsborough meant
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: that over ten thousand Liverpool fans with standing tickets had
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: to empery through just seven turnstiles seven. Strangely, the smaller
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: number of Nottingham Forest fans were allocated a larger area
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: and why. Apparently this was done to avoid rival fans
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: crossing paths from the jump. The authorities weren't planning for
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: crowd safety, That were planning for hooliganism. Once inside, the
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: standing room only section or the terrace was divided into pens,
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: and I do mean pens. The pens were nothing more
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: than gated zones with high fences separating the standing room
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: only section from the pitch itself. Once you shuffled your
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: way in the terrace and into those pens, like Sheep
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: heard it into cages, he'd have a hard time getting
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: out again. Control being the idea, James, like most of
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: the Liverpool fans with standing tickets, was directed into just
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: two pens behind the goal, Pens three and four. The
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: atmosphere was electric. In front of him, he saw a
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: huge blue fence, and then he heard a loud voice
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: on the PA. Please could all the Liverpool fans and
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: Pens three and four moved forward as much as part
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: of all and so, along with everyone around him, James
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: took a step, and then another and another, closer and
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: closer to that huge blue fence. Up in the control box,
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: Roger Marshall was half shouting. Now, sir, He said, it's
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: two packed out there. There aren't enough turnstiles to handle
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: the people. We have to open the emergency duckingfield cut
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: them off. Don't you think I know that? He snapped.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: He looked at the images on the CCTV screens of
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: fans falling over one another outside. Marshall suggested they delay
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: the kickoff to accommodate the unprecedented crowd. One word answer
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: and response No. James Aspinall saw the problem almost right away.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: The pen was too packed, but the gates were at
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: the back, making it nearly impossible to get out if
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: you were at the front, but James, like many others,
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: assumed the problem would be temporary, and the minutes ticked down.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: Game time approached. In the tunnel that lead from the
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: locker rooms to the field, John Barnes walked with his
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: shoulders back and his chest out fucked the butterflies. He
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: was ready up in the control box. Duckingfield was growing
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: agitated as he watched the CCTV feed. Maybe Marshall was
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: right after all. He thought about it for a second,
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: and then he spoke, do it, he said. Marshall gave
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: the sign and two of his men sprinted down to
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: the Levin's Lane stand, where the Liverpool fans were congregated.
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: Duckingfield and Marshall watched on the TV screen as the
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: huge structure of Gates Sea opened. People bolted into the stadium.
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: Some were running, others fell over people in front of them,
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: and Marshall felt a horrible feeling bubble up and the
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: pit of his stomach. The gate was open, bodies poured
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: into the already packed pens, and there was only one
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: place they could go inside the pen. James Aspinall thought
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: his friend was tapping him on the back, but it
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: was actually two or three arms from strangers, and they
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: were packed in so tight that the bodies moved as
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: one hulking mass, not as individuals. And then James heard
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: a huge noise. It was deafening. It was the sound
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: of the crowd screaming as the teams walked onto the pitch.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: John Barnes was on the field with the rest of
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: the Liverpool team now, and he waved and smiled at
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: the crowd. Roger Marshall wasn't watching the teams on the field, though,
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: he was staring in horror at the sea of bodies
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: moving erratically on the CCTV screen. It must be the
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: camera making it look worse, he thought to himself. So
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: he looked up through the glass of the control box
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: and he immediately wished he hadn't. What he saw was
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: even worse than the images on the screen. The referees
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: whistle rang out and leather hit leather. John Barnes sprinted
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: forward as the crowd roar. James Aspenall threw both his
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: hands into the air and shouted in frustration. The game
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: was starting and he wasn't even out of the fucking pen.
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: It was then that Roger Marshall began to really panic.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: Suddenly there was a huge thrust in the leppings laying stand,
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: but James Aspenall was catapulted forward by a great force.
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: From behind him. A man to his left went down,
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: lost in the tide of clothes and skin. James looked
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: for him, but he was gone, swallowed by the sweaty mass.
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: He tried to shout, but the air was knocked out
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: of him in another surge. Only then did James Aspenall
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: realize that he had no control. It was like he
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: was surfing a wave in a violent storm. Roger Marshall
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: was running. He could see the full horror of what
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: was happening now, and the entire stand of people moving
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: forward and then back, and then forward and then backed uncontrollably.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: He saw one of the barriers at the front, only
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: a few meters from the main fence. It was being
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: bent forward, almost to its breaking point. More and more
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: bodies piled against it, forward, back, forward, back, and the
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: barrier finally gave way. Men, women, children. They all fell forward,
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: crashing into the large blue fence ahead. Bodies piled upon bodies,
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: piled upon bodies. James Aspinall felt like he was in
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: a dream and there was a second of silence, and
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: then the bottom of the world fell out. Everyone, no,
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: everything around him, fell forward and crashed hard into the
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: metal fence. He felt his gold chain necklace loosen, he
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: grabbed it before it fell, and then he hit the ground.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: Just as the game was stopped. Roger Marshall was screaming now,
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: yelling at the fans who weren't injured to help get
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: their friends and family members over the fence. All he
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: could see were people on the ground, motionless, So many
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: people motionless. Back in Liverpool, Margaret Aspinall's phone rang. Her
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: sister in law was on the other end, Margaret. She said,
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: there's trouble at Hillsborough. Margaret ran to a TV set
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: and turned it on, and as soon as the screen
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: flicked to life, the chaos greeted her like a gunshot.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: Years later, she swore that she saw her son James.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: She swore she saw him on the pitch, just lying there.
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: People doubted her claims, but she knew what she saw
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: in that moment though, As she watched in terror while
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: a nightmare unfolded at Yorkshire, a nightmare that involved her child,
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: she could hardly describe it. She just knew that it
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: was unbelievable, It was terrifying, and life as she knew
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: it was changing right before her eyes. Back in Yorkshire,
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: a body was thrust over the fence and Roger Marshall
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: grabbed him carefully, laid him on the pitch and thought
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: about giving him mouth to mouth, and then he took
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: a second look. Mouth to mouth was futile. The kid's
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: life was over. Marshall took off his jacket and placed
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: it over the kid's body. He covered the head, the torsa,
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: and then the hands, one of which was clutching a
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: gold chain necklace. Marshall could feel the tears welling up.
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: He looked up at the chaos and thought that this
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: must be what hell looked like. But for the Liverpool fans,
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: hell was only just beginning. We'll be right back after this.
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: We're we're, we're soho was dark, The sex workers and
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: the drug dealers were everywhere. Shadows come to life, and
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: the rain hammered hard. So did his anxiety. He upped
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: his walking pace and darted down a little side alley.
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: He was alone. His footsteps echoed off the cobblestones with
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: a rhythmic click, click, click. He worried more about the
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: meeting he was headed to. The sound of his shoes
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: was like a metronome in his head. Click, click, click,
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: and then his footsteps were joined by another set of clicks.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: These ones, ringing out in the narrow alley, were out
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: of time with his like they were walking him, and
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: they were allowed too heavy. He pushed on faster now
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: with the clicks behind him, kept up the pace. His
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: gaze was fixed ahead, His neck was stiff. He didn't
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: dare turn around. He was almost at the hotel. He
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: was almost a safety. Just a few more seconds, and
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: then his blood ran cold. A voice from behind him
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: cut through the rain in the polyrhythmic footsteps. Excuse me, sir.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: He didn't reply. Instead, he broke into a jog. The
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: voice came again, this time firmer and more direct than before.
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: Excuse me. The stone beneath him was wet and slippery.
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: His expensive shoes made him feel like he was skating
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: on ice, sir. The voice again, this time even closer
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: than before. Run, he thought, fucking run. But before he
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: could begin in a sprint, a hand touched his shoulder.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: He spun around. It was a young man, well dressed
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: with a kind face. Sorry, sir, the man said, wasn't
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: sure if you could hear me from the rain and
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: all that. There was an awkward pause, and then the
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: man raised his right hand. You dropped your wallet. Jesus Christ.
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: That was a relief, he thanked the young man, but
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: he wasn't about to get rid of his pursuer that fast.
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: The younger man cocked his head slightly to one side.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: Do I know you, sir, he asked, and then it
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: came to him clear as day, you're that MP. Of
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: course he was that MP, a Conservative member of Parliament
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: with a familiar face, who couldn't shuffle down an alley
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: to a clandestine meeting without getting made. He said something
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: in return, something along the lines of you must be confused,
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: before darting off to the end of the alley, and
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: it long lasts safely into the hotel. Seconds later he
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: was inside the bar of the Soho Hotel. He managed
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: to find the person he was meeting straight away. He
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: had always spot a journalist a mile off. He walked
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: over to the table and without introduction, asked the man
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: sitting there, are you ready? That night, the Hillsborough story
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: took a turn for the worse. How could it get
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: any worse after the devastation of life that occurred in
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: the stands that day, a day that ended with seven
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: hundred and sixty six injured in ninety five dead. When
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: the authorities decided to ship the blame away from themselves
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: and onto the very people who had been devastated by it,
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: That's how it could get work. All they needed was
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: an outlet. Just a few days after the fatal crush
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: at Hillsboro, Kelvin McKenzie, editor of the Sun newspaper, stepped
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: out of his e type jag. He handed the keys
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: to the valet and walked to the Sun's Fleet Street offices.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: As he made his way through the thick brass covered doors,
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: a man tried to stop him. No one stopped Calvin McKenzie,
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: especially not front desk security. But this guy, this guy
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: was new. This guy was asking to see mackenzie's pass,
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: trying to speak with authority. Mackenzie walked right past him.
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: He could feel the anger rising inside. It was right
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: there in his throat, and the new guy kept after him, Sir, sir.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: Finally McKenzie stopped. He spun around his shoes squeaking on
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: the polished marble floor. Your pass, the security guard said,
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: My face is my fucking pass. Mackenzie screamed, I get
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: the fuck out of this building and never show your
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: fucking face here again. He ripped open the door to
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: the main office and marched through, leaving himself just enough
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: time to scream fucking amateur in his wake. Upstairs, his
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: anger was still simmering. One of his writers presented him
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: with some rough copy for an article. Seven or eight
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: other journals sat in his office watching him read. They
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: all puffed on cigarettes. McKenzie scanned the article. This all
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: came from the MP, he asked. Phillips nodded his head
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: and added in some police. Mackenzie read more. It was
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: the type of silacious front page splash that the Sun
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: made his reputation on gutter press, his dad had called it.
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: But this this was McKenzie's currency. The article, following the
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: lead of the Member of Parliament and the police, blamed
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: the disaster not on the decisions made by Chief Superintendent Duckenfield,
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: but on the barbaric behavior of Liverpool hooligans. It accused
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: the fans of not just illegally rushing the gate, but
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: of pissing on police and even pickpocketing the dead. McKenzie
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: paused for a moment and then said, simply scum. The
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: room fell into silence. The all male writing staff had
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: been in the spot before, the one where they weren't
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: sure if the editor was about to scream at the
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: em eric and gradually them. After a moment, mackenzie cracked
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: a smile. That's the headline, he said, you scum. Silence again.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: The writer of the draft took a drag on his cigarette,
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: giving himself something to do so he didn't have to
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: reply right away. No, mackenzie asked the room of hushed faces.
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: The writer blew smoke. He began to say that he
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: wasn't sure about it, that it felt, you know, maybe
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: a little too strong. McKenzie didn't let him finish. These
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: people are pissing on officials, they're stealing from their own dead.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: And if they're not scum, what are they? The silence
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: returned to a man like McKenzie was clear. Everyone knew
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: what those hooligans did at soccer matches, the fights, the
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: drunken brawls. They'd been doing it since thirteen forty nine.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: Thugs villains, scum. Finally, the writer found some words. People died,
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: A lot of people died. They shouldn't all be labeled
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: a scum. That just wasn't right. Mackenzie quickly snapped back.
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: You don't have the fucking balls, he said, You Northerners
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: are all the fucking same. His voice was just above
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: a whisper, but it landed as heart as steel. Then
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: he moved his face right into the writer's face. Are
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: you fucking soft? The writer suppressed the panic building inside
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: him while they stood his ground and made his argument.
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: They couldn't in good conscience print that. As he went on,
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: Mackenzie's face elongated into sheer rage. He drew a breath
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: to give the writer perhaps the biggest fucking beatdown ever
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: dispatched in his office, but he was stopped before he
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: could begin. I think he's right, came a voice from
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: the corner of the room, the most junior reporter in
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: the place. Suddenly Mackenzie was the one to panic. He
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: could feel the room turning against him. The youth and
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: their fucking principles, A bunch of fucking softies, all of them,
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: a lot of them. He desperately tried to maintain his
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: all powerful image. But what shall we go with? Then
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: the writer grabbed a pen from the desk and in
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: big letters scrawled the truth at the top of the page.
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: But he was wrong. What was written in that article
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: wasn't the truth, not even close. The story, published in
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: The Sun on April nineteenth, nineteen eighty nine, just four
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: days after the tragedy, placed the blame for what happened
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: at Hillsborough squarely on the shoulders of Liverpool fans, which,
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: of course was one bullshit didn't matter. Soccer officials, journalists
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: and other members of parliament followed suit, condemning me innocent
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: victims of the Hillsborough disaster and one of the worst
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: misinformation wars in British history. For his part in that
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: smear campaign, mackenzie gets sacked right well. No, He stayed
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: on at The Sun in one form or another until
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: the twenty eighth anniversary of the disaster in twenty seventeen,
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: when he was suspended for a racist comment about a
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: player from another Merseyside club for the people of Liverpool,
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: though his dismissal came twenty eight years too late. Steve
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: was young when it happened, eight years old, his cousin
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: was only ten. He was the youngest one that died.
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: The funeral was unbearable. The tears, the awkward conversations, the sadness,
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: The sadness was never ending. There were little things he
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: remembered from that time, like when he caught a glimpse
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: of his cousin's bedroom, untouched, just as he had left it.
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: Or when he saw the players in their black armbands
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: with a line of scarves that stretched from Liverpool Stadium
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: to the home of their fierce rivals Everton. He remembered
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: seeing a Liverpool fan hug an Evertonian and how strange
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: that seemed. You remember the day they added the flames
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: to each side of the Liverpool crest, an eternal flame
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: that burned, and memory of those who lost their lives.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: He remember the TV and radio shows and the headline
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: that read the truth. The burning of the newspapers. He
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: remembered the hollow apologies from the police, the paper and
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: whoever else perpetuated the lie, like the cops who admitted
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: during inquest into the tragedy that they had spread false
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: stories about the fans to cover their own asses. Years later,
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: even Chief Superintendent David Duckinfield himself would admit that it
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: had all been a terrible lie, that it was his
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: actions on that day that directly led to the fatal crush.
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: Even before this stunning admission, Steve could smell the bullshit.
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: He remembered Margaret Aspinall rallying other victims' families to challenge
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: the authorities a memory of her son James. He remembered
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: the trials and how the finger of blame finally turned
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: away from the fans. He remembered it all so clearly.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: Later he told someone from a newspaper that he thought
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: about it every day, in one way or another. And
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: he thought about it one night in Turkey at the
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: Atta Turk Olympic Stadium in two thousand and five. You see,
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: Steve wasn't your average child. The very same year as
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: the Hillsborough disaster was the year that Steve full named
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: Stephen Gerrard assigned to Liverpool's academy. As he stood on
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: the field that night in Istanbul, during the final of
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: Europe's biggest club competition, in the Champions League, things were
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: looking bleak. His Liverpool team were underdogs and were currently
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: down three nil to the mighty ac Milan, and there
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: were fifty four minutes on the clock, and the ball
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: was coming at him closer and closer. Before long, Steve
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: realized he'd found some space between the two defenders. He
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: left into the evening humidity and connected with the ball.
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: He pushed hard with his neck and directed it to
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: the other side of the goal. The Milan keeper was
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: flat footed as the ball sailed over him and into
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: the net goal. Steve barely celebrated. He sprinted back to
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: the center circle, rueling his arms like a windmill. It
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: was game on. What unfolded that night was one of
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: the greatest comebacks in soccer history. After the game, Steve
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: lifted the huge trophy above his head, his captain's armband
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: proudly positioned for all to see. In front of him
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: was the sea of Liverpool fans, dressed in red, cheering
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: for their club, cheering for their city, Cheering for the
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: group they now called the ninety seven, cheering for Adam
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: Edwards spirit fourteen, Alan Johnston twenty ninth, Alan mcgloan twenty eight,
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: Andrew Mark Brooks twenty six, Anthony David Bland twenty two,
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: Anthony Peter Kelly twenty nine, Arthur Harks forty one, Barry
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: Glover twenty seven, Barry Sidney Bennett twenty six, Brian Christopher
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: Matthews thirty eight, Carl William Rimmer twenty one, Carl Brown eighteen,
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: Carl Darren Hewitt seventeen, Carl David Lewis eighteen, Christine Ann
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: Jones twenty seven, Christopher James Trainer twenty six, Christopher Barry
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: Devinside eighteen, Christopher Edwards twenty nine, Colin Wafer nineteen, Colin
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: Andrew Hugh, William Sefton twenty three, Colin Mark Ashcroft nineteen,
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: David William Birtle twenty two, David George Rimmer thirty eight,
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: David Holly thirty nine, David John Benson twenty two, David
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: Leonard Thomas twenty three, David William Mather nineteen, Derek George
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: Goodwin twenty four, Eric Hankin thirty three, Eric George Hughes
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: forty two, Francis Joseph McAllister twenty seven, Gary Christopher Church nineteen,
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: Gary Collins twenty two, Gary Harrison twenty seven, Gary Phillip
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: Jones eighteen, Gerard Bernard Patrick Baron sixty seven, Gordon Rodney
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: Horn twenty Graham, John Roberts twenty four, Graham John Wright seventeen,
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: Henry Charles Rogers seventeen, Henry Thomas Burke forty seven, Ian
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: David Whalen nineteen, Ian Thomas Glover twenty, Inger Shaw thirty eight,
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: James Phillip Delaney nineteen, James Robert Hennessy twenty nine, John
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: Alfred Anderson sixty two, John mcbrian eighteen, Jonathan Owens eighteen,
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: John Paul Gilliley ten, Joseph Clark twenty nine, Joseph Daniel
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: McCarthy twenty one, Keith McGrath seventeen, Kester Roger, Marcus Ball sixteen,
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: Kevin Daniel Williams fifteen, Kevin Tyrrell fifteen, Lee Nicol fourteen,
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: Marion Hazel McCabe twenty one, Martin Kevin Trainer sixteen, Martin
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: Kenneth Wilde twenty nine, Michael David Kelly thirty eight, Nicholas
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: Peter Joins twenty seven, Nicholas Mitchell Hewitt sixteen, Patrick John
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: Thompson thirty five, PAULA Ann Smith twenty six, Paul Anthony
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: Hewitson twenty six, Paul David Brady twenty one, Paul Brian
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: Murray fourteen, Paul Clark eighteen, Paul William Carlisle nineteen, Peter
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: Andrew Harrison fifteen, Peter Andrew Burkett twenty four, Peter Francis
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: Toodle twenty one, Peter McDonell twenty one, Peter Ruben Thompson thirty,
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: Philip Hammond fourteen, Philip John Steele fifteen, Raymond Thomas Chapman fifty,
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: Richard Jones twenty five, Roy Harry Hamilton thirty four, Sarah
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: Louise Hicks nineteen, Simon Bell seventeen, Stephen Paul Koppick twenty,
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: Stephen Francis Harrison thirty one, Stephen Francis O'Neil seventeen, Stephen
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: Joseph Robinson seventeen, David Stephen Brown twenty five, Stewart Paul,
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: William Thompson seventeen, Thomas Howard thirty nine, Thomas Stephen Fox
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: twenty one, Tracy Elizabeth Cox twenty three, Victoria Jane Hicks fifteen,
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: Vincent Michael Fitzman's thirty four, William Roy Pemberton twenty three,
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: Andrew Duvine fifty two, and James Gary aspinall just eight.
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: I'm Jake Brennan in this This Disgrace Slam.
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: All right, thanks for checking out another episode of Disgrace Slam,
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: the special one here for the World Cup on the
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: Hillsborough disaster. Question of the week this week, which tragedy
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: from either sports history or music history, or anything from culture,
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: hit even most maybe something you were directly connected with
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: in some way. Get at me six point seven nine
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: six six six three eight. Let me know your answer.
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: You might hear your answer on the after party. And
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: also just let me know what you thought of this episode,
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: or you can hit me up with recommendations about subjects
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: you want us to cover into Graceland. That's six one
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: seven nine oh six six six three eight, leave a voicemail,
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: send a text. I'm also available at disgrace lampod on
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: the socials. Here come some credits. Disgraceland was created by
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: Yours Truly. It is produced in partnership with Double Elvis,
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: The Exactly Right Network, and iHeart Podcasts. Credits for this
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: episode can be found on the show notes page at
• 35:21
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• 35:26
  Speaker 1: Access member, thank you for supporting the show. We really
• 35:28
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• 35:31
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• 35:36
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• 35:40
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• 35:47
  Speaker 1: com slash at Disgracelanpod. Rock and roll up, then