HARDAKER, UNITED, MUNICH, CUP

Following on from the Munich Air Disaster in February 1958, when eight United players were killed, Red Star Belgrade suggested that FIFA should postpone that season's European Cup tournament. It was also suggested that posthumously United should be anointed as the "Honorary Champions Of Europe" for that season. Needless to say, UEFA did not agree to this but the tournament continued with the "stiff shirts" of the European Governing Body not completely supportive of the idea. Rocognising the terrible price that United had suffered, they offered a place in the following tournament, even though United had not won the English League!

Matt Busby, the United Manager, accepted such a generous offer, BUT the Football League immediately informed him that as the club was not a champion winning side, they could not accept.Hardaker had managed to convince Chelsea to "bale out" the year before. His opinion of the tournament could be gleaned as from an "unguarded aside" he gave the renowned newspaper football writer, Brian Glanville, that he did not much enjoy dealing with football on the continent: "Too may wogs and dagoes!" he announced.

Busby appealed against thre "diktat" to the FA, who came to the conclusion that the League had NO POWER to stop Uited from competing and gave the club the go ahead. On August 13th, Hardaker "went to war!", demanding a meeting with the FA to argue his opinion and after a fortnight of having their own "rule book" waved in their face behind closed doors, the FA caved in! On August 31st United were banned from entering the tournament.

Hardaker later argued that he was protecting the Football League from fixture congestion, but many interpreted his motived in another way.....Bobby Charlton said "He was making it as difficult for the man who had defied him with his insistence that United would fight on this "new frontier of football".

United did not compete in the European Cup again until 1965!