Thousands of people on Tuesday turned out for memorial ceremonies in Manchester, England and Munich, Germany to mark the 60th anniversary of the air disaster which killed eight of the Manchester United team of the day.
The eight players, stars in a glory-chasing side known as the “Busby Babes,” were among 23 people killed when the plane carrying them home from a European Cup match in Belgrade crashed in wintry weather during a refueling stop at the Munich-Riem Airport on Feb. 6, 1958.
Three club staff members, eight journalists, two crew members and two other passengers also died.
Photo: Reuters
In a poignant echo of the treacherous conditions that prevailed that day, heavy snow fell at United’s Old Trafford ground as Sir Bobby Charlton, 80, and Harry Gregg, 85, — players who survived the crash — joined the club’s current first team, manager Jose Mourinho and thousands of fans in a tribute to the victims.
Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, club director Michael Edelson and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward all delivered readings, before a minute’s silence was held at 3:04pm — the time of the crash.
“It was very fitting. A beautiful service. Powerful, emotional,” club captain Michael Carrick told MUTV. “For me, it was emotional sitting next to Sir Bobby and coming to terms with what he’s been through. It was tough, but a pleasure to be part of.”
In Munich, club ambassador Denis Irwin joined about 3,000 United fans for a ceremony and a two-minute silence at the scene of the crash. Two commemorative plaques were also unveiled, British media reported.
“Unbelievable support here from young and old. I know the fans make an annual pilgrimage, but they’ve made a special effort this year and it’s great to see them pay their respects,” Irwin said.
Wreaths were also laid at the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade, where United had played Red Star Belgrade the day before the crash.
United, known as the Busby Babes after manager Sir Matt Busby, were one of the most successful sides in Europe at the time of the disaster: they had just qualified for the semi-finals of the European Cup and were chasing a third consecutive league title at home at the time of the crash.
Seven of the “Babes” — Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan — died at the scene, while the prodigiously talented 21-year-old Duncan Edwards succumbed to his injuries 15 days later.
Gregg, the team’s goalkeeper, escaped the crash with only minor injuries, but returned to the wreckage to pull other survivors to safety, including teammates Dennis Violett and Charlton and his badly hurt manager Busby.
Gregg continued playing, but left United in 1966, while Charlton also resumed his career and formed part of Busby’s rebuilt side, which won the European Cup in 1968.
Two German-led inquiries initially blamed the captain of the plane for the crash, but a subsequent British investigation cleared him of wrongdoing and concluded slush on the runway had been the cause.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later