It was an event that in many ways shaped Manchester United into what they are today, and lasting tributes are evident all around Old Trafford. From the clock on Sir Matt Busby Way and the museum to the plaque bearing the names of those who perished on the walls outside the ground, memories of an occasion that left an indelible mark on the club remain sombre and painful.

At such a sensitive time, with the crash brought to the attentions of the wider public, the reactions of those not associated with the club is of note. In this country, if you do not support United you are almost pre-programmed to despise them and take satisfaction in their failings, if and when they occur. Like Bayern Munich in Germany or Juventus in Italy they are an institution, hated as much as they are revered and very few are indifferent in their feelings towards them. During the 1990s, at a time when United contributed the largest contingent of England players out of any club side, chants of ‘Stand up if you hate Man U’ at England games were commonplace. Many fans consider themselves ABUs – Anyone But United. There is also often no love lost for their players, past or present. As recently as last year the disdain for those associated with United was on display when, whilst taking to the field as an England substitute at Wembley, Phil Neville was roundly booed. To this day the popular website Football365 still rather contemptuously refers to the club as ‘Man Yoo.’ So it has been interesting to assess the reactions of those who, when confronted with a poignant moment in the history of a club they loathe, are asked to show dignity and respect.

Unfortunately it is sad to note that many look as though they will be found wanting. The fixture list could have been no crueler than to determine that Manchester United would play their fierce local rivals Manchester City in a week marking the 50th anniversary of such a sad event. In a week of memorials, tributes and grief revisited it was hoped that everyone, no matter their allegiance, might not only honour the lives of those who died but also show the due sensitivity to the victims’ families and those closely associated with the tragedy. Regrettably at a time when the focus should surely be on dignified remembrance, we have instead been left a debate on whether or not England and City fans can be trusted to observe a minute’s silence without resorting to heckling and taunts.

The FA began the palaver by deciding against a minute’s silence ahead of England’s game against Switzerland on February 6th. They have consequently backtracked on this decision, but their original actions clearly show a deep mistrust of an England fanbase that is largely anti-Manchester United. As for City fans, it speaks volumes that members of their own Supporters’ Club felt compelled to write to United to express fears that the minute’s silence at Old Trafford on Sunday would be disrupted. The club itself has tried to highlight the fact that in Frank Swift one of City’s finest ever goalkeepers was also killed in the crash, but given that they have stopped short of handing out flyers at the away end on Sunday for fears they will be used as paper aeroplanes, their pleas look like falling on deaf ears.

It is a shame but also perhaps an inevitability that a few idiots might try and puncture the silences to be held at Old Trafford and Wembley in this 50th anniversary week. Nonetheless a period of quiet reflection is far more appropriate than a proposed minute’s applause, and it is pleasing that the FA and United did not cave in. “The FA haven’t given in to mob rule and that is quite correct,” Sir Alex Ferguson rightly pointed out.

50 years on, the incredible story of the Munich Air Crash and the Busby Babes is one of sorrow and sadness, one of broken hearts and bravery, one of tears and, ultimately, triumph. An incredible tale of strength and courage in adversity. A tale of drive and deliverance, personified no better than by Sir Matt Busby, who found the energy to rise up from his deathbed and lift the club out of the ashes and to the legacy of the 1968 European Cup. But also, importantly, it is about a group of young men tragically cut down in their prime by the hands of fate. We must all be able to honour that, if only for a minute.