by Steve Wilson, Daily Telegraph
Kenny Dalglish, the former Liverpool player and manager, has broken his silence on the Hillsborough disaster, saying police and officials should have delayed the kick off.Dalglish was speaking to a documentary team for a programme to mark the 20th anniversary of the disaster next month.
An FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989 saw 96 Liverpool fans lose their lives after being crushed against crowd perimeter fencing in the Leppings Lane end of the stadium in Sheffield.
Dalglish, the Liverpool manager on that day, said: âThe easiest thing to do is put the kick-off back. If the police are talking to the FA and the FA make that call, there wouldnât have been any resentment in the dressing room.
In an open and emotionally charged interview, the Scot also makes pains to praise the Liverpool fans who rallied round to help their fellow supporters in the most trying of circumstances.
âThe punters were superb,â says Dalglish.
âThey helped the police as much as anything else. Theyâre supporters - it was their club in trouble.â
Should Liverpool successfully overcome Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League knockout fixture at Anfield next week, they could be required to play a quarter-final match on the actual anniversary.
The club have already requested to Uefa that this be avoided, should they qualify, so as to allow the players and fans to attend a planned memorial in the city.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/4936740/Liverpool-great-Kenny-Dalglish-breaks-silence-over-Hillsborough.html