At the mourning service for the Munich Air Disaster on Tuesday, people like SIR JIM RATCLIFFE and Dave Brailsford were there.

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This afternoon, the new leaders of Manchester United paid their respects to the people who died in the terrible crash at Munich-Riem Airport in 1958. Ratcliffe bought a 25% stake in the club where he played as a child last December. At 2:40 pm, he stood with club hero Sir Alex Ferguson in front of the sign honoring the people who died in the disaster.  The team’s boss and leader at the moment, Erik ten Hag, and Bruno Fernandes paid their respects.

They were joined by Marc Skinner and Katie Zelem, who play for Manchester United’s women’s team.

Famous people from the club, like Brian Kidd and Paddy Crerand, who won the European Cup with Sir Matt Busby ten years after the disaster, were also there. Reverend John Boyers, who used to be United’s preacher, led the moving service.

There were readings, poems, and songs, and then there was a two-minute quiet at 15:04, which was the exact time of the terrible crash.

The silence was broken by the usual singing of “The Flowers of Manchester.”

Twenty-three people died when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on the runway during its third failed attempt to take off. Tragically, eight players and three staff members from the club died in the crash.  Eight people died: Mark Jones, David Pegg, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Geoff Bent, Liam Whelan, and Duncan Edwards.

Walt Crickmer, who was the club’s secretary, died in the crash, as did trainer Tom Curry and coach Bert Whalley.

The crash also killed eight journalists, as well as Busby’s friend Willie Satinoff and the plane’s captain, Ken Rayment.

Two other people on the team, Tom Cable and Bela Miklos, also died.

12 people, including Busby and the late Sir Bobby Charlton, miraculously lived through the crash.  This afternoon, there was also a memorial service in Munich, close to the site of the crash.

The Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation put together the service, and former United players Mike Phelan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were there to represent the team.

As part of the club’s tributes to the recently deceased Franz Beckenbauer, Phelan also laid a wreath at the German legend’s grave.