Brothers Edwin and Michael Streisy went to Moscow, full of doubts. Their initiative to hold a memorial match between Spartak and Haarlem - in memory of the 1982 football tragedy - was greeted with enthusiasm in Holland. But will the Russians want to remember the wounds they inflicted 25 years ago?
46-year-old Michael Streis : “Our visit to Moscow to organize the match exceeded all expectations. Actually, the Russian capital is a ten-million-strong city where 60 Haarlems can fit. I wondered if the Russians would say: your idea is good, but what exactly are you are you going to do? However, we didn’t encounter such an attitude. Spartak supported our plan and took care of all expenses for the delegation from Haarlem (maximum 35 people). "
42-year-old Edwin Streis : “We were afraid that the club would like our initiative, but not the fans. After all, the Soviet authorities forced those present at that match to stand in the cold. But, fortunately, our fears were not confirmed. The mothers of the children who died then are grateful that even now they remember their suffering. "
Michael: “They believe it is right that 25 years later a minute of silence will be announced in memory of the victims of the tragedy. We thought that Russia was a big country and nobody remembers the troubles of the past years. But that’s not so.”
Moscow. October 20, 1982 . “Spartacus” and “Haarlem” hold the first match of the second round of the UEFA Cup. What happens immediately after the final whistle in the icy stands and happily bypasses almost all the Dutch who were present there is beyond description. For reasons not yet clarified, hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of spectators fell from the stairs. They were simply crushed. According to the official report of the Soviet authorities, 66 people were killed. Later reports of 300 victims appeared.
Haarlem. October 20, 1982. You could watch the live broadcast from Moscow on the big screen in the Kennemar gym. Michael and Edwin Streis were there among hundreds of fans. It could not be otherwise. After all, they almost grew up at the Haarlem stadium. Brothers, one might say, absorbed their love for Haarlem with their mother’s milk. Michael at that time was the goalkeeper of the youth team of the club. Edwin played for lovers.
Later, Edwin, now editor of the football division of Sportweek, wrote about Haarlem matches. Michael now occupies the post of sports manager in the city municipality. His contacts with the club are mostly business, but the Dutchman remains a big fan of him. In short, red-blue blood still flows in the veins of Streis.
The brothers managed to reunite Haarlem and Moscow. “Participation in the UEFA Cup was a significant event for Haarlem. But for Spartak that match was one of the worst moments in history,” says Ivan Tol, who accompanied Streisov in the Russian capital. Tol is going to write a book about the events of 25 years ago. Ivan talked with eyewitnesses of that match, and some stories shocked him. "We want to know what we can do for the thirteen mothers who then lost their children. They could neither go anywhere nor receive compensation. This case was simply thrown into the basket."
October 20 this year, “Spartak” and “Haarlem” in the 82nd will hold another meeting at the Luzhniki Stadium, in the past - named after Lenin. The match will probably be broadcast on Russian television. The Dutch Embassy will host a reception on October 19, which will include Mayor Haarlem Bernt Schneiders and City Councilor Martin Diefendal. The Russian branch of Nike has released special t-shirts.
"Now we are negotiating with KLM airline about organizing a flight to Moscow. Perhaps KLM will be one of the sponsors of the fight and will undertake to arrange a charter for all members of the Dutch delegation," says Michael. Spartak also hopes that the Haarlem fans team will take part in a fan tournament in the Russian capital in June.
In cold Moscow, Michael and Edwin Streisov received a warm welcome last week. The brothers visited a monument erected near the stadium, which lists the names of 66 dead in the fall of 1982. He recalls other football tragedies - on “Eisel” and “Hillsboro” ...
Dutch guests talked with Andrei Chesnokov. The famous tennis player in the past was a fan of Spartak in his childhood and was present at Luzhniki Stadium that evening. Chesnokov agreed to join a special committee, which also includes Rud Gullit, Guus Hiddink, Bernt Schneiders, Arthur Numan and Henk Kesler. “We met Andrei by accident in one of the Moscow cafes. He still can’t forget that tragedy. He had to jump over the dead to make his way out. According to Chesnokov, people fell like dominoes. Goosebumps go on the skin, when you listen to his story. Andrei is convinced that there were actually more victims. He himself saw at least a hundred ... "
Translation by Sergey NIKOLAEV