Old Trafford suffered great loss but a spirit endured that came to define club
United have always shown class in their response to devastating effects of Munich crash
The rain was steady but gentle at Old Trafford on Saturday as the crowd gathered, as they always do, before the home match closest to the anniversary of the Munich air disaster. That crowd were maybe a little deeper than usual this year for the 60th anniversary.
Flowers of Manchester was sung below the Munich plaque and fans – many parents, explaining to their children – paused a little longer inside the Munich Tunnel that runs the full length of the South Stand. They read about the Busby Babes, the disaster and Manchester United’s re-emergence to win the European Cup in 1968.
An eternal flame burns in memory of the 23 who died, including eight players and three club staff, together with eight journalists, two crew members, a supporter and a travel agent. All perished on Flight 609 on a snowy airfield after a refuelling stop as United returned from a European Cup quarter-final triumph over Red Star Belgrade.
Inside the stadium, a clear plastic bag hung on every seat. In it was a match programme, a letter from executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who wrote of the “tragic event, which is forever woven into the fabric of this club’s history”, and a pin badge with the Munich Clock on it. There was also a book, Remembering the Busby Babes, written for the occasion by Ivan Ponting. A minute’s silence was impeccably observed.
Today is the anniversary of the disaster, and a service will be held at Old Trafford. Harry Gregg, who is one of two surviving players from the crash along with Sir Bobby Charlton, will travel from Northern Ireland. Charlton will be there, as will Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager Jose Mourinho and club captain Michael Carrick.
Sir Bobby, who was on his first European trip, has also written a letter that has been given to all the United first-team players. It is not long – just 328 words. “The devastating effect still lives on and this great football club, which you are part of, has risen from its darkest hour in a way like no other,” he wrote. aggressively at the vanguard of that. But Munich pulls them back. The commemorations have been beautifully judged, and the club deserve praise for them.
United have behaved with class and sensitivity that reflects well on the club and the respect for their history.
Its importance cannot be underestimated, and cannot be forgotten. Munich was their making. The disaster shaped United’s identity, one they must cherish and never forget. It is also something that has resonated throughout the decades because it spoke not just of tragedy but became a story that would always be lifted by a spirit that refused to die. Something was lost in Munich 60 years ago, and a beautiful story was wrecked. But something greater endured, survived and thrived.
United’s 1968 European Cupwinning side were shaped from a refusal to yield to the terrible events 10 years earlier. It spoke of that human spirit but also the power of sport and of football, in particular.
So, observing and remembering this matters. The Busby Babes are at the heart of Manchester United and always will be. Charlton became the symbol, adding a World Cup winner’s medal with England, and achieving so much for club and country and doing so with the most remarkable dignity.
By coincidence, United’s under-19s will be in Belgrade to play a Uefa Youth League tie today. Their coach, Nicky Butt, will lead the players in a wreath-laying service at the Partizan Stadium, the venue of the last match played by the Babes.
For football fans, no visit to Old Trafford should take place without being drawn to that Munich Clock. But neither should it pass without standing in front of something else, just around the corner.
It is the statue of George Best, Denis Law and Sir Bobby, the “Holy Trinity”, in triumph, facing the stadium. It was unveiled 40 years to the day of that first European Cup victory.
Ten years after Munich, they achieved something nobody thought possible. “Finally, we did it for the lads,” Charlton said. But they also did it for a club who, for many reasons, are one of the most pre-eminent in the world. And that is also part of the story.
There has been huge success since, astonishing success under Ferguson, and there was success before 1958, as United had won back-to-back league titles. But it always goes back to Munich. It was when a club became so much more than a team who were involved in an air crash and a serious loss of life. It is about that indefatigable spirit.