FC Bayern commemorates Munich air disaster victims in Manchester

A visit with a special gesture: a few hours before kick-off in FC Bayern’s match at Manchester United in the Women’s Champions League, Herbert Hainer laid a wreath in club colours on behalf of FC Bayern in memory of the victims of the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958. “We will always remember the ‘Flowers of Manchester’,” said the FCB president at the memorial site outside Old Trafford. “Particularly at a time in which divisive forces are threatening social cohesion and democratic values in Europe and across the world, it’s our joint legacy that the ‘Flowers of Manchester’ never be allowed to wither.” Bianca Rech, FC Bayern Women director, visited the memorial in the morning and learned more about the tragedy in the club museum, before heading off to prepare for the match with the team. 

When we speak today about the ‘Flowers of Manchester’, we speak not just about a football team, added Hainer: “We speak about people, about fates – and about the fact that at a time when the wounds of the Second World War had not yet healed, Manchester United and FC Bayern became symbols that you can find common ground again.” The people of Munich stood by Manchester United following the disaster, and over the decades they’ve remained “as close as hardly any other two top international clubs”, said the FCB president. “To this day, this story represents how football is far more than a game.”

It’s the first time in the club’s history that FC Bayern has visited the memorial at the stadium of the English giants – for many years now, it has been a regular fixture on the calendar to pause at the memorial in Munich on the anniversary, together with representatives and fans from Manchester. Year after year, thousands of supporters travel from the UK just for this ceremony, and it’s always an emotional moment when everyone – many with tears in their eyes – sings the moving ‘Flowers of Manchester’ song. For the Red Devils’ most loyal fans, a trip to Munich at least once in their lifetime is a must.

A total of 23 people lost their lives when the plane carrying the legendary ‘Busby Babes’ crashed on the journey back from a European Cup match in Belgrade as it stopped at Munich-Riem airport. Eight players were among the victims, while Bobby Charlton survived – and went on to become one of the all-time greats.

In 2008, ‘Manchester-Platz’ was inaugurated in Munich to mark the 50-year anniversary of the disaster. Since 2020, a memorial shrine has been there to commemorate what happened. The Bayern fan club ‘Red Docs Munich’ works to preserve the history. The mutual respect between both clubs is huge; for example, after the death of Franz Beckenbauer, a delegation from Manchester United laid a wreath at the ‘Kaiser’s grave alongside Franz “Bulle” Roth. “This connection between our two clubs should be handed down from generation to generation,” declared Hainer.