The disaster of course came during the communist era in the former USSR and was covered up for many years by the Soviet regime. With the national press highly state controlled, local press in Russia merely contained short cryptic notes stating that 'incidents had occurred' and that 'some spectators had been injured' following the match.

At the time of the disaster the Soviet Union was led by the ailing Leonid Brezhnev. His era had been known as the period of 'Brezhnev stagnation'; a time of economic turmoil and dithering leadership and the disaster was one that the Soviet regime could not bring itself to admit.  Like the economic strife, all news of the stadium disaster was smothered due to Brezhnev regime's phobia of bad news.  In the days before the web and global communications, talking of the disaster to foreigners was forbidden. Until 1989 reletives of those who died were forbidden from laying flowers at the stadium on the disasters anniversary.

Eventually a scapegoat for the disaster was found by way of the stadium chief Panchikhin who was given 18 months corrective labour as a means of punishment. The real blame  for the 67 deaths lay at the feet of the army militia policing the game who made fatal mistakes in stadium organisation.

It wasn't until a July 8, 1989 during the Gorbachev era of Glasnost, that a published issue of the newspaper 'Sovetskiy Sport' talked openly about the disaster. Some have said that it was only then that the Haarlem players involved that night discovered the full facts surrounding the tragedy.

HFC Haarlem

Twenty eight years later to the tragedy that occurred in Moscow, the ultimate disaster has befallen FC Haarlem as the club was declared bankrupt on January 25, 2010. The club played its last professional match on January 22 2010 in a 3-0 away loss to Excelsior.  Attracting non-existent crowds the club was declared bankrupt and was thus according to Dutch league rules 'excluded from all competition' with all its previous results in the ongoing competition being scrapped. The club in its current form have then ceased to exist with all its players becoming free agents.  It is not yet known if the club will start over in a lower league such was the lack of interest in the club from fans and the local community.

HFC Haarlem were a former Dutch national champion and after Rotterdam side Sparta were the oldest football club in the Netherlands. The club had debts totalling almost two-million euro but decades of falling spectator numbers and the absence of any serious investors meant there was no way of staving off its demise.    Sitting some 20km west of Amsterdam most locals were fans of the much larger Ajax Amsterdam and the club simply could not compete. Founded on 1 October 1889 the club twice won the KNVB cup in 1902 and 1912. The club scored its biggest success ever when it took the national title in 1946. In the 1970s, Haarlem twice won the first division championship. After a third title in 1981, the club went on to enjoy a number of successful years at the highest level of professional football with players such as Ruud Gullit.

After the 1980's the club went into a downward spiral and in the past 20 years never managed to do better than an eighth place in the lower Dutch first division. It was hoped that the construction of a new stadium was to give new impulse to Haarlem but the project was scrapped when the property developer earmarked could no longer finance the project due to the financial crisis.  This final reversal of fortune was a major blow to the club.  It was unable to balance its budget for the current 2009-2010 season and bankruptcy became inevitable after several attempts to attract new investors failed.

Former Haarlem players Ruud Gullit and Artur Numan have spoken openly about the problems the club faced attracting supporters to the club. Numan spoke of times in the late 1980's when as a young player he was sent to Haarlem city centre with free tickets in an effort to get fans into the ground and generate interest. Dutch great Gullit meanwhile has spoken of the fact that barely a fan came to watch Haarlem anymore and therefore the 'rationale of its existence' was pointless. In tough economic times, unloved by the local community and unable to attract new fans Haarlem could not live off its past and historical memories.

Royal Excelcior Mouscron

A similar fate befell Belgian club R.E. Mouscron at 3pm on 28th December 2009 when it was excluded from the Belgian Jupiler League. Based in Mouscron, a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, the club had been struggling for some time with debts. Struggling on poor crowds and with players not turning up for games for fear of injury Mouscron games were continually forfeited with players refusing to play for fear of injury.

They were eventually excluded by the strict KBVB from the Belgian league and all its previous results in the ongoing competition were scrapped.   The club in its current form have ceased to exist, with all its players and staff becoming free agents.

With noted names such as Lorenzo Staelens, Enzo Scifo and Hugo Broos managing the club in recent years, Excelsior Mouscron were been forced to withdraw from the Belgian football league.   The bankrupt club forfeited three matches in a row leading to an automatic exclusion under KBVB rules.

Liquidators are said to be doing everything to save the registration of the club and a partial continuation of activity remains possible through a subsidiary body. In terms of the Belgian League, only one team in the Jupiler League now face the possibility of relegation. There had been reports that English Premier League club Manchester City were set to launch a £3 million bid to save the club and take it forward but there have been no developments. Going forward, Excelsior Mouscron who had somewhat paltry debts of €800,000, are hopeful of being able to return to the Belgian leagues next season where they will likely start in the third division.

Supporters of Excelsior Mouscron meanwhile have expressed in great numbers their support for the club through a 'red walk' through the town. The mobilisation of sympathy for the club was far more impressive than anything Haarlem could muster and although the hope is that the club will continue its inheritance in the city, a merger with local side RRC Peruwelz has been muted as the most sensible way to take the club forward.

Cork City

Cork City are also now no more, as they once were that is.  The club have reformed as Cork City FORAS Co-op Football Club in the place of Cork City Investments FC Ltd.   The club is run by  a supporters trust  and play at the former Cork City ground Turners Cross.  The club are to play their first competitive game away to Derry City on March 5th 2010 having obtained an Irish  First Division License.

Derry City

Another club from the former Eirecom League that were expelled were the former all conquering Derry City.  The club owing huge debts were expelled from the League of Ireland by the FAI in November 2009 for breaching the Participation Agreement but a new Derry club using the "Derry City" name will join for 2010.  

By January 2010 with a new board, the new chairman, Philip O'Doherty was reported to have acquired a new kit deal for the club with Hummel.  On Monday 15th February 2010, Derry City were awarded a First Division license by the Independent Club Licensing Committee, allowing them eligibility to compete in the 2010 Irish First Division.

Who is next?

It seems that there is not a day goes by without a club entering the dangerous waters of administration, possible liquidation and disaster. R.E Mouscron, FC Haarlem, Gretna, La Louviere, Lommel are only a handful of the clubs who were unable to stave of the inevitable and fall by the wayside and its highly possible a few more will follow.

Government and politicians have reacted, as per usual, in a knee jerk manner towards the turmoil affecting the game via a number of parliamentary debates and questions.  However, the actual substance of any proposals have to be treated with suspicion and caution for a general election is approaching.  In short, there is nothing like getting football supporters onside for winning votes.

In England Crystal Palace entered administration and further down the league ladder Notts County are nearing breaking point financially.  Supposedly, a host of other clubs are also in the same boat such as Southend, Darlington and in Scotland Glasgow Rangers. Portsmouth meanwhile are perhaps the most high profile of sides to face extinction. Portsmouth are currently at the bottom of the English Premier League and in serious financial difficulty.

As of January 2010 players have had their wages delayed four times and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have presented a petition for the club to be wound up in the High Court of Justice due to unpaid taxes amounting to £11million. French club RC Lens and the former owner Sasha Gaydamak are also owed significant sums of money which require immediate payment.

Portsmouth could easily go the way of both Mouscron and Haarlem and disappear especially if the HMRC have its way.   Sadly the epitaph of the club could be 'failed to pay up Pompey' rather than 'Play up Pompey' if the millions are not found.