Manchester United are to hold a memorial service at Old Trafford on the 60th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, the English football giants announced Tuesday.
The club said all supporters were welcome to attend the service which will take place on February 6, exactly 60 years to the day since the tragedy which saw eight United players — including rising England star Duncan Edwards — among the 23 people killed in total.
A minute’s silence will be held at 3:04pm, the exact time of the crash.
Season ticket-holders over the age of 65, who will in some cases have personal memories of the 1958 aeroplane crash, will be sent invitations.
United will also hold a minute’s silence ahead of the Premier League home game against Huddersfield Town on February 3.
The club were returning from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade when tragedy struck, with the disaster leading to the deaths of several players among the original ‘Busby Babes’, a team full of young talent put together by Manchester United manager Matt Busby.
But the likes of Busby and United star Bobby Charlton were among the survivors.
Both were involved 10 years later, as manager and player, with England great Charlton scoring twice when United beat Portuguese side Benfica 4-1 in a Wembley final to become the first English side to win the European Cup.
One of the permanent memorials to the disaster is a clock attached to the south-east corner of Old Trafford which bears the words “Feb 6th 1958” and “Munich”.
AFP
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