This Day in History: 2023-07-31

Nr. 488

TRAGEDY RETURNS TO IBROX (1971)

The number 13 lived up to its grim reputation as 66 people were killed at the home of Glasgow Rangers. As departing fans packed stairway 13 at the end of a match with city rival Celtic, barriers collapsed leading to an appalling death toll. A fan caught up in the crush said, «Around me I could hear shouting and cries, but as time went on – I was trapped for at least 45 minutes – these decreased until it was almost silent.» The 2 January 1971 disaster remains the worst in the history of Scottish football and a later inquiry blamed crowd momentum for the tragedy.

The grim sight of bodies laid out at Ibrox – the second time the ground had witnessed a major disaster in the twentieth century.