05.06.2015 18:56 h

Juventus aim to honour Heysel victims with European crown

The memory of the victims of the Heysel tragedy 30 years ago provides Juventus with all the inspiration they need to beat Barcelona in Saturday's Champions League final in Berlin, according to defender Leonardo Bonucci.

Juve beat Liverpool 1-0 in the European Cup final on May 29, 1985 but the name of Brussels' Heysel Stadium became synonymous with tragedy that night.

The result and the Italian giants' first European Cup triumph was completely overshadowed by the death of 39 people, mostly Juve fans, when a wall collapsed after a charge by Liverpool fans on their counterparts prior to the game.

Several Liverpool fans were eventually found guilty of manslaughter and some 600 supporters were injured altogether, with British clubs being banned from European competition as a punishment.

Thirty years on, Bonucci and the Juventus team attended a memorial service at Turin's Gran Madre di Dio church last Friday night to mark the anniversary of the disaster.

"As regards the Heysel tragedy, I went to the commemoration service last week to the victims and I think the memory of what happened there is a further stimulus for us," said the Italy defender.

"We hope to be able to dedicate our victory to those who lost their lives that night."

Having already won the Italian league and cup double, Juve are bidding to win the first treble in the club's history.

Their coach Massimiliano Allegri says one of the darkest episodes in European football will be in his team's thoughts in the match build-up.

"It's very important, it was a tragedy 30 years ago and will go down in the history of Juventus," said Allegri, the former AC Milan coach who has had a magnificent first season at the helm.

"For Italian fans and for world football, it is an event which must be remembered.

"We have to remember the victims, we have to think about their families."