RED STAR MARK THE ANNIVERSARY

Red Star Belgrade held a 45th anniversary memorial service on Thursday to
pay tribute to the Manchester United players killed in the 1958 Munich Air
Disaster.

The service was attended by the surviving members of Red Star's 1958
generation while Bobby Charlton, the one Manchester United great due to join
the event, sent a letter to his hosts after being unable to travel.

"This is indeed a sad day for both our clubs and I very much wished to be with
you...to remember those who perished on that tragic day 45 years ago" it said.

"Unfortunately, circumstances have prevented me from travelling. On behalf
of Manchester United Football Club, I send you our very best wishes and our
thoughts are with you all."

The memorial service started with a minute's silence to honour the victims of
the disaster which claimed the lives of some of the greatest talents English
football produced in the 1950s.

'Eternal glory to them and may they live in our hearts forever,' Red Star
President Dragan Dzajic said before playing footage of the memorable tie in
which his club came back from a 3-0 first half deficit to draw 3-3.

Charlton scored two goals that day as did Red Star Belgrade's Lazar Tasic,
one of those who attended Thursday's service.

"It was a great match, I remember it so well. Manchester United was the best
team we ever played. Our hearts were broken when we got the news from
Munich" Tasic said.

"There were so many world class players in that Manchester United side, they
would have been European champions if that terrible tragedy hadn't
happened."

Dzajic added: 'From the ashes of Munich, a new Manchester United emerged
to become one of the greatest clubs of Europe and the world.'