Manchester City have launched a campaign to eradicate chanting about the Munich air disaster at the derby match against Manchester United on Saturday week. An open letter will be printed in the programme for tonight's match against Tottenham Hotspur calling the supporters who sing about the tragedy an "embarrassment to our club".
The letter has been written by the supporters' club and other fans' groups such as the Centenary Supporters' Association. It targets the habit of City referring to United players and fans as "Munichs".
“Twenty-three men, many of them young footballers yet to reach their prime, perished on the runway of Munich airport,” it says. “Among the dead was journalist and former City player Frank Swift, one of the greatest goalkeepers ever to grace the blue shirt.
“What happened that day transcends football. It transcends rivalry. Death is not a joke; loss is not a way to goad your rivals. Those who sing songs about Manchester United's plane crash in Munich are an embarrassment to our real fans. We help to kick out racism. We don't tolerate discrimination. So let's stamp out these appalling chants.”
Hopefully the programme itself will heed the request, given that it was them who printed a ‘Munich chant’ as the ‘year’s best’ from City fans just a few years ago.