It is 30 years since Manchester United were welcomed into hell.
The tale of how the club’s first venture into the Champions League ended in a shock elimination at the hands of Galatasaray on away goals is one of pure intimidation. Sir Alex Ferguson described the second leg in Istanbul as being “exposed to as much hostility and harassment as I have ever known on a football expedition.”
From the moment United’s squad were greeted at the airport by thousands of manic Galatasaray fans, some of them waving banners that said ‘Welcome to Hell’, Ferguson and his players were threatened and abused. Even the Turkish police played their part. Eric Cantona was attacked by one officer after being sent off for allowing his frustration to explode at the end of the goalless draw that sent United crashing out.
When Bryan Robson came to his rescue, he suffered a cut arm that required six stitches after being thrown down the steep concrete steps in the tunnel that led to the dressing rooms. “I never want to go back there again,” admitted Ferguson.
But United’s return to the Champions League under Erik ten Hag has pitted them once again against the most famous team in Turkey. And although Galatasaray’s intimidating Ali Sami Yen Stadium was closed in 2010, a visit to the banks of the Bosphorus remains one of the toughest assignments in European football. Yet in October 1993, it was at Old Trafford that the seeds of United’s downfall were sewn.
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Galatasaray fans held a vociferous welcome for Man Utd in 1994 (Allsport)When Galatasaray return to Manchester on Tuesday night , Ten Hag certainly won’t make the same mistakes as his predecessors. When the Reds drew the Turkish champions in the second qualifying round 30 years ago, they had ended the club’s 26-year wait for the title and had already stormed clear at the top of the table on their way to retaining the Premier League.
Chief scout Les Kershaw reported that Galatasaray were “nothing to worry about” - and after 13 minutes it appeared he had read the script perfectly as Bryan Robson’s strike and an own goal by Hakan Sukur put United 2-0 ahead in front of a crowd of less than 40,000. But when Arif Erdem reduced the deficit in the 16th minute, the visitors grew in belief.
Supporters gathered at the airport and intimidated United (Daily Mirror)Turkyilmaz brought Galkatasaray level after 32 minutes and then scored again just after the hour as Galatasaray started to dream of becoming the first foreign side to beat United in a European tie at Old Trafford.
Peter Schmeichel then inadvertently sparked a diplomatic incident by pouncing on a pitch invader who was waving a burning flag. The United keeper thought the fan was holding a United banner. But it was a Kurdish protester with a Turkish flag - and when Schmeichel stamped out the flames with his boot he enraged an entire nation.
Ferguson admitted he was intimidated by the atmosphere in Istanbul (Getty Images)A furious United onslaught brought an 80th-minute equaliser for Cantona. But when Galatasaray German coach Reiner Hollmann later promised “Gala fans will be waiting for you in Istanbul” it was a warning that carried chilling menace.
United’s team included seasoned campaigners like Cantona, Robson, Schmeichel, Roy Keane, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and Paul Ince.
But youngsters like Gary Neville and David Beckham were also in Ferguson’s squad. The pair were filmed grinning as they looked out from the team coach at a sea of Galatasaray fans menacingly drawing their fingers across their throats.
Ince later recalled: “It was a beautiful place where we stayed and the people were so nice. But as soon as we got to the stadium, it was like a switch had been flicked and the hatred was unbelievable. Even the police started to pick fights with us. I remember one of the Old Bill just smashing Eric (Cantona) on the head.”
A brick thrown from the stands just missed Bruce’s face, while outside the stadium 164 United fans were arrested and held for hours in dirty cells without any food or water.
Neville later admitted: “I learned more in those two hours than I had done in the previous two years playing for the youth team and reserves.”
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