60 years ago, on February 6, 1958, one of the most high-profile football crashes took place, in which the players of the English "Manchester United".
Airspeed Airspeed AS. 57 Ambassador of the British airline British European Airways crashed after a third attempt at takeoff at the airport in Munich, where he stopped for refueling.
It was this plane that Manchester United returned home after the quarterfinal game of the European Champions Cup with the Belgrade club "Crvena Zvezda". This meeting ended in a draw and allowed the English club to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup.
As a result, 24 people were killed, including eight players from the legendary "Busby babes" (the so-called team players in honor of head coach Matt Busby), three club employees and eight journalists.
In the life was the legendary Northern Ireland goalkeeper Harry Gregg, who helped pull the wounded players from under the wreckage of the airplane. For six months he recovered from injury and again took the place at the gate, "Manchester United".
Today, February 6, 2018, on "Old Trafford" will be ceremonial events dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the tragedy. The ceremony of celebrating the victims will take part and 85-year-old Gregg.
At 15:04 (local time), a minute of silence will be held, then the floor will be given to the club's directors, Sir Alex Ferguson, Michael Edelson and Edward Woodward.
Note that at the time of the disaster, the "red devils" only four points behind in the championship of England from the leading "Wolves" and fought for a third victory in the League in a row, but then the team managed to win only one victory for the remaining 11 matches and finished in ninth place. In the Cup of European champions "Manchester" could not overcome the stage of the semifinals.
Only in 1965 the "red devils" again rose to the highest step of the podium of the championship of England, and in 1968 they fulfilled the promise of Busby, winning the European Cup.
After that the team won the Champions League twice (1999, 2008), became the champion of England 15 times, and in 2017 became the winner of the Europa League.
Now, "Manchester United" is second in the championship of England, behind 13 points, "Manchester City".