When Manchester United organized that special ceremony last February to honour the memories of their predecessors who perished in the famous Munich air disaster 50 years ago I said to myself that it was a real spiritual cleansing and that the team would win some top prizes by the end of the season.

It was a solemn occasion and when the club later on lost to city rivals Manchester City in the Premiership derby it consolidated the fact that it was meant to be a day of mourning I had that sneaky feeling that the sporting gods of Old Trafford would guide them to success at the appropriate time. I was wondering how the mood of the fans could suddenly change from solemnity to a jubilant occasion if United had won the day.

I had been privileged to witness a similar occasion during the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 when 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the Games Village by Palestine bandits. The Games were disrupted prompting a worldwide debate whether the festival should continue or stopped. The International Olympic Committee then headed by American Avery Brundage decided not to succumb to terrorists. A memorial service was held at the Munich Olympic Stadium and after the solemn occasion where wreaths were laid for the dead Israelis the IOC ruled that the Games must go on

A little over an hour later the solemn occasion gave way to a cheering crowd that hailed the sportsmen and sportswomen as they resumed their quest for Olympic medals

Fast track to Old Trafford 2008 and Manchester City made the occasion more somber by defeating United but like Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and suffered the consequences of his action, it was no surprise that Manchester City later on had a tough time in the premiership.

The great thing about a league is that you can lose a match and still win so United braved the odds and won the Cup on the last day of the championships when their close rivals Chelsea were hoping that United would lose. That was the best option for Chelsea anyway because they could not match United’s massive goal haul.

Chelsea naturally saw the champions’ league final in Moscow as the opportunity to make history by being the first to win an all English final and winning the final at the first attempt but the sporting gods of United perceived a more illustrious honour and backed them to win the cup to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster. The impeccable Ronaldo was made to miss the penalty to serve as a warning to watch his words about his future with the great Manchester United. Free scoring Drogba of Chelsea he must now be wondering the cause of his unsporting behaviour that got him the red card. As for skipper Terry he should compare notes with the John Arne Riise who scored the 90th minute own goal at Anfield that eventually propelled Chelsea to the final.