A huge memorial poster adjourning one
side of Old Trafford to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air
disaster has been vandalised with paint bombs, an act that has
heightened the tension ahead of the Manchester
derby.
Many are blaming fans of United’s local rivals Manchester City
for the defamation, while others say a small minority of United
die-hards have actually done the deed in opposition to the
corporate sponsorship logo that is strategically placed in the
bottom corner of the poster.
The billboard poster features an image of the 1958 Manchester
United team which lost eight players in the Munich plane crash, but
has an AIG logo at the bottom.
American Investment Group are of course one of the main sponsors
of the team, who also have the AIG logo on their shirts.
But many loyal United fans still harbour a deep hatred for the
American takeover of their club which has plunged the club into
masses of debt.
A Manchester United spokesman condemned the attack and said the
paint had now been removed and the poster restored to its original
state.
The 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster is on 6 February and
United play arch-rivals Man City on the 10th, a game that has
caused consternation between the two clubs over how they should
commemorate the occasion.