Euro racism fear for United
Ole: Forget Kane, we have enough firepower
UNITED are prepared to walk off if their players are subjected to racist abuse during tonight’s Europa League tie with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia.
Partizan’s stadium is open again to all supporters after they were ordered to play two matches behind closed doors by Uefa following racist behaviour by fans in their Europa League qualifier against Yeni Malatyaspor in August.
Partizan coach Savo Milosevic said he hoped tonight’s tie ‘will once again be a celebration of football, so I don’t expect any problems in that regard’.
“In the aftermath of what happened in Bulgaria (with England) we had a meeting with the boys,” United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explained.
“But I believe in people and I’m sure the atmosphere here will be fantastic, we’ll try and keep them quiet by playing good football. We trust Uefa and, as
Savo said, hopefully it’s a celebration of good football.”
United’s Harry Maguire added: “We will trust Uefa to follow their protocol with the three steps. Obviously, Sofia was a sickening atmosphere, it was something I don’t want to be part of again. If something does go off then we’ll follow the three-step (UEFA) protocol and I’m sure there will be people on and off the pitch doing their bit to make things better for the future.”
BELGRADE is 938.6 kilometres away from Munich, but the two cities are twinned for United fans.
This correspondent’s flight details were in reverse to the Busby Babes in February of 1958 – Manchester to Belgrade, via Munich.
You could not overlook the eeriness of the flight connection destination.
The Majestic Hotel where the United squad stayed over 61 years ago before that fateful flight to Munich on their journey home from a European Cup tie still exists on the corner of a quaint square.
In anticipation of the journalists and supporters planning to visit ahead of the Reds’ Europa League match against Partizan Belgrade tonight, a few photocopied sheets were stapled together and laid out on a desk, charting a cursory history of the club’s stay. A menu signed by the United squad at The Majestic fetched £12,000 at a Shropshire auction in 2006 and remains on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester’s Urbis Building.
Frames of actors Elizabeth Taylor and Alain Delon adorn the wall from their stays, along with a photograph of the Babes during their final meal.
Busby and his players are identified, but there is no mention that it is the famed United side of ‘58.
There is no backgrounder on who Matt Busby, Edwards, Taylor, Charlton, Blanchflower, Morgans, Viollet, Wood, Colman, Jones, Bent and Foulkes – those identified in the photograph – represented.
Nor is there a synopsis detailing the significance of their time at The Majestic or what happened the day after their European tie.
Belgrade maybe does not elicit the same raw emotion for United followers as Munich, yet was the venue of the Babes’ last match on February 5, 1958 – an eventful 3-3 draw with Red Star at the Stadion JNA that secured a European Cup semi-final tie with AC Milan. The club have only played in Belgrade once since – at the same stadium in the 1966 European Cup semi-final against Partizan.
Busby, Harry Gregg, Bill Foulkes and Sir Bobby Charlton, survivors of the Munich air disaster, braved Belgrade again for a 2-0 first leg loss.
There was particular poignancy surrounding the anniversary of the Munich air disaster last year. Snow swirled around a Baltic Manchester and the United U19s were greeted by a warmer climate in Belgrade for a Uefa Youth League tie.
Brandon Williams and James Garner were among the teenagers on the educational trip and will return to the Partizan Stadium, nee JSA, with the first team this evening.
Twenty months ago, they were at the same ground, where captain RoShaun Williams placed a wreath in the centre circle before a minute’s silence on the defining date of February 6.
The United youth team, guided by coaches Neil Ryan, then-academy head Nicky Butt and the head of education and welfare Dave Bushell, visited the Partizan Stadium and attended a reception at The Majestic.