United to remember Munich
06 Feb 2008 - 12:59:11
Manchester United will rename part of their Old Trafford ground in memory of the 23 people who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster 50 years ago.
The South Stand tunnel will be renamed the Munich Tunnel at a commemorative service to mark the anniversary of the disaster.
The tunnel will also house an exhibition of the legendary Busby Babes team, who lost eight members in the crash.
There will also be a service at Old Trafford to be conducted by club chaplain Reverend John Boyers which will coincide with the time of crash at 3.04pm.
Eight players - Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan - died when a plane travelling back from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade crashed after refuelling in Munich on 6 February 1958.
England's match against Switzerland at Wembley on Wednesday night will also be preceded by a minute's silence in honour of the players, club officials and journalists who lost their lives.
"We've tried to make sure we deal with things around the anniversary appropriately and compassionately," said United chief executive David Gill.
"We spoke to those who were directly affected by the crash such as Sir Bobby (Charlton), as well as people who know the club and its history intimately like (club secretary) Ken Ramsden and (former United journalist) David Meek.
"We formed a committee and debated various ideas, taking into account everyone's thoughts and feelings about what the disaster meant to people at the time and also what it means to the club today."