Liverpool big names sign up for charity match to mark 25th anniversary of Hillsborough tragedy

Liverpool is set to honor the memory of the Hillsborough 96 with a charity match called the “Celebration of the 96" to mark the 25th anniversary of the tragedy in Sheffield.

The match will have big names on the field and big names in the coaches boxes, as Kenny Dalglish will operate a Liverpool club against an International XI led by Gerard Houllier.

Meanwhile, the list of players committed to performing in the match is impressive:

Robbie Fowler
Jamie Carragher
Steve McManaman
Ian Rush
Luis Garcia
Vladimir Smicer
Jan Moltby
Dietmar Hamann

The match will be played on April 21, the day after Easter, which falls 25 years and six days after the stadium disaster that took the lives of 96 Liverpool supporters at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final match at Sheffield United.

Margaret Aspinall, the leader of the Hillsborough Family Support Group who lost her 18-year-old son James in the tragedy, told the the club’s official website: “We wanted to host an event to celebrate the lives of the 96 and give the people the chance to come to Anfield for a fun afternoon.”

While some clubs are debating a return to standing room supporters, the resonance of such an anniversary and its match participants may remind those behind the coffers that sometimes your bottom line can afford to leave “well-enough” alone.

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