Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that the Munich disaster still affects him.
A failed take-off on a slush-covered runway killed eight Manchester United players 55 years ago. Sir Alex Ferguson was 16 at that time, and was not related to the club whatsoever.
“I’ve been affected since a young boy. It was a sad time,” said Ferguson, 71. “For many it’s probably long forgotten, but for someone like me who remembers the day, you won’t forget it.”
The team was returning from an European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade when the British European Airways (BEA) plane crashed during take-off.
The team’s plane had made a halt at Munich to refuel before completing the journey from the former Yugoslavia back to England.
After failing two attempts to take off, the pilot went for the third try on a snowy day and plane over-shot the runway. A wing hit a house and the plane then struck another building, causing it to catch fire.
Twenty-one people died instantly. Co-pilot Captain Kenneth Rayment died later from the injuries he sustained while Duncan Edwards – described by former United assistant manager/temporary manager Jimmy Murphy as the “greatest of them all” – passed away 15 days after the crash.
“How we rose to get over that is remarkable in terms of [manager] Sir Matt [Busby] and Jimmy Murphy and all the staff at the time,” Ferguson told Football Focus.
“It was a fantastic group of young men who were destined to be great and that was the tragedy of it in how it was taken away from them.”
Just 13 days after the crash, the fifth-round FA Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday was scheduled and it went ahead at Old Trafford.
The team sheet consisted of crash survivors Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes, alongside new signings and a mix of junior and reserve players.
The new signing from Aston Villa, Stan Crowther made an appearance in the match, despite the fact he had previously played in that season’s competition.
United won the match 3-0 but eventually fell victims to Bolton Wanderers in the final.
Despite the tragedy, the club returned to European action and beat AC Milan 2-1 at Old Trafford in the semi-finals, before a 4-0 defeat in the San Siro.
Ferguson believes the event is one that should not be forgotten.
“When you were caught up in the aftermath of it and the publicity, and when the papers detailed what had happened, you couldn’t help but feel that enormous loss for anyone football-minded,” he added.
“That has carried on for a long, long time and every year you have to remember that.”
The players who died that day:
Geoff Bent: Full-back, aged 25Roger Byrne: Full-back, aged 28Eddie Colman: Wing-half, aged 21Duncan Edwards: Wing-half, aged 21Mark Jones: Centre-half, aged 24David Pegg: Outside-left, aged 22Tommy Taylor: Centre-forward, aged 26Liam “Billy” Whelan: Inside-forward, aged 22
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