« Brothers, you live, you drive us! »

« A lightning of our lives. But we are catching up … « *. They didn’t catch up. The first equal that they were able to « see », the lightning nature of human existence – from the ecstatic happiness of the triumph, in the outrageous tragedy, in a handful of seconds. But they didn’t catch up. They were. They were trampled on. Were pressed. They were bleeding. They were left out of oxygen and breath. And they threw, for elsewhere. With the scarf in the neck and louds on the lips the name of their mother. And their Olympics …

Stirfa Sunday ’81. The tragedy of the door 7, the 21 victims. Sign of eternal, deep, wound wide open, no matter how many years pass, watered with the salt of Piraeus Salt. And whenever the memories return, two words, a slogan, travel to the winds with wet eyes and the heart tight: « Brothers, live … ».

Eight February. Sun with « teeth ». In the neighborhoods of Piraeus, in the morning, everything is defined « from the match ». No explanations, everyone knew: Olympiacos 29, ARIS 28, AEK 26. And Calenda of the 20th day had Olympiacos – AEK and PAO – ARIS. « The title is judged, » the newspapers were written. Ok, piece of hurry. It was, however, obvious that if Olympiacos was « cleaning » the derby, the road to the second consecutive professional championship opened wide …

Sign of eternal, deep, wound wide open as many years pass, watered with salt of pirate salty

Inseparableness

The derby, with referee Koutoula, set for 3 pm But the cements in the old « Karaiskakis » were slaughtered by hours: 40,000, inseparable. Like hell. With the feeling good. Do you want the absolute, until then, in the « Temple » (9 in 9)? Do you want the defense-guarantee (far better than the championship, with just 10 passive goals)? « We have it! » A « Spirit » was somewhat « held »: Gorsky’s hard team. Tight, the result. But difficult to goal. The team called it, « 1-0 » (indeed, up to one goal in 11 of its 19 matches).

He also claimed that afternoon. But … in the first part. Half-hour, Galakos, 1-0. In the 2nd, the help and the elimination of Manolas, just … the taps were opened. Again Galakos (53 ‘). And Kousoulakis (68 ‘). And the orphan (75 ‘). And the cotton (80 ‘, with an unlikely slalom … of a court). And the third is Galakos (84 ‘), the hat-trick. It had not been such a « epic ». An AEK crammed into the ropes and a red summer, in a frantic state of furious, to punch it ruthlessly, revising the boundaries of … pity!

Olympiacos-AEK 6-0! « Let’s go back, let’s hear it! » Olympiacos-AEK 6-0! Shocking! Unlikely! Incredible!

Delirium

The platforms are « burning ». « Karaiskakis » vibrates. Thousands of people are missing. From 7, even before the end, some first depart. Destination is the door 2, next to the locker room. To save the big winners. Shortly thereafter, the next ones leave. And others, more. Fiery river, ecstasy. Song, help and mind elsewhere. They do not see what is going on. They do not know, they do not hear – cries that were lost in the veil of cheers. « Back! … No others! … Help … Nice … ». And then, silence. Black. And blood …

What exactly happened, an iron knot in the soul. The doors were not (completely) open. And the heavy, iron tournaments, in place. Arriving the former, they had no way out: « Open, re! » Nobody … Following the following, the crowds began to grow. Very. Until the fatal one happened – 5.05. Someone, descending downhill, downhill steps, presses an foam. Slides. It falls. It seduces the next, the UL. And others. And others…

Suffocation

5.07. Those who follow, having no visibility in front (due to a sharp turn on the route), unsuspecting and enthusiastic, fall on them too. They press them. And these, the next. Some head is wedged on railings – the domino of terror …

5.09 pm Suffocation!

Two police officers, then hardly, manage to shut down a tournament. And they escaped, many. Redeemer. But not for everyone …

Out of 7, the stage, now visible in the public view, taken from the worst nightmare. Screams. Curses. Pain. Survived with foreign bodies in the arms. Sirens of patrols and ambulances (called, through wireless, from all over Athens) screaming. In the stadium clinics, in the concierge, bruised faces. Swollen. Missing, artificial breathing.

An injection. Lakis Nikolaou, AEK player and a doctor, who has been rushing for help, begs: « Fast … ». In a corner, on the sidewalk, a father, Zannis Theodoropoulos, gives his 18 -year -old Leventis, Damianos, a kiss of life. He saves him …

« We arrived from the first, in six minutes – 5.16 hours. And what we saw … dead and injured, all scrambled. We put some in the ambulance and left for Tzanio, all -in -law ”(narrative of V. Athanasopoulos and D. Papadopoulos, IKA Driver and Nurse).

The last tribute to 21 children, at the place of tragedy. The day that the old Karaiskaki Door 7 was demolished

Panic

Police officials, soldiers and dozens of IX carry as many as they can. Frenzy Race, for Tzanio, Kat and General. There the continuation of the drama was played. Especially in Tzanio – she, my Christ, the image of the enclosure, the corridor, with the naughty bodies in marble and stretchers…

The radio had already transported the mandate. By appeal for blood and doctors. And immediately, with extraordinary bulletins, ERT, YENED – lacking, then, mobile and internet, and with misinformation (even the 7th 7th was heard), everyone was hanging from the lips of Zisimatou, junta, bores and Zoula. Many who were in another port left and did not understand what happened, they returned. And footballers – the crying of Galakos. Factors, along with Daifas. The Prime Minister himself, George Rallis, is also in a hurry. But mostly…

Parents, friends, relatives, they hear it. They lose the earth beneath their feet: « My God! Does he live?  » And they take over the streets. Thousands. Others for the stadium. Others for the hospital. One or the other, in the blind. « Did you see him? They say … years old … « . Manna their children. Women in their guards. Brothers their brothers. • « Pass … ». The task of recognition. In the cemetery, with the devilish form of formol …

The first three dead (Kanellopoulos, Mahas, Dialynas) were announced around 8.00. From the identities in the pockets. By midnight had become 17. And until morning, 19. The ultimate report, nightmare: 21 dead (20 friends of Olympiacos, one of AEK), 55 injured. Young people. Most, kids. The smaller is Panagiotis Toumanidis, 14 years old.

Human sacrifice …

Ancient tragedy

While the collective subconscious recorded the greatest athletic tragedy that the place has ever experienced and the newspapers were filled with stories, images and narratives, with the stupid of ancient tragedy, the visit of the players to Tzanio, the next, a piece of balsam. But up there. Nobody has never surpassed it. « I had a birthday this day. I never made it again, never ”(survivor narrative). And first, the families of the victims. Houses that were ravaged. Lives that changed. Festivals lost. Black worn and lamps lit up, on the same time.

Finally, a gift after the trial of ’84 -’86, to justify their memory. Was the guards missing ‘from their positions? Tourne that was not removed? Are the construction deficiencies in its « viscera » 7 (stairs without handles, inadequate lighting, etc.)? The overload (above, said, from 7,000 fans on a four -way platform)? The police? And yet, « all innocent! » – Only, only eight years of guardians were imposed, but they were appealed.

The only bourgeois « satisfaction » of families, the 5.5 million GRD compensation, through the increase in the price of the 1st National tickets, the synergy product of the GSC (under Kimon Koulouris) and PAE Olympiakos. But first and foremost, the eternal honor of the « red -white » family itself. The organized. The monument, outside of « G. Karaiskakis ». The black seats on door 7 of the new stadium. The annual memorial service, with the creepy invitation card. And these five, holy words, which have since been tattooed, with red ink, indelible, in the cell of every genuine « red -white » consciousness: « Brothers, Live, You Driving us » … Immortal …

Nikos Kazantzakis’ saying.

From 7, even before the end, some first depart. Destination is the door 2, next to the locker room. To save the big winners. Shortly thereafter, the next ones leave. And others, more

Immortal

Panagiotis Toumanidis (14 years old)

Costas Sklavounis (16 years old)

Elias Panagoulis (17 years old)

Gerasimos Amitsis (18 years old)

Yiannis Kanellopoulos (18 years old)

Spyros Leonidakis (18 years old)

Giannis Spiliopoulos (19 years old)

Nikos Friend (19 years old)

Giannis Dialyinas (20 years old)

Vasilis Mahas (20 years old)

Efstratio Pipou (20 years old)

Michalis Kostopoulos (21 years old)

Painting Haratidou (23 years old)

Spyros Andriotis (24 years old)

Costas Karanikolas (26 years old)

Michalis Markou (27 years old)

Costas Billas (28 years old)

Anastasios Pitsolis (30 years old)

Antonis Kouroupakis (34 years old)

Christos Hatzigeorgiou (34 years old)