The theft happened in broad daylight. Munich police believe the display case at the corner of Emplstrasse and Rappenweg, in the Trudering district, was broken into between 8am and 1pm local time on Monday 26 October, when someone smashed the glass panel with a concrete block and emptied the case.
A crystal sculpture and four medals were among the items taken, according to Hallo München. Officers are weighing both a football-motivated attack and ordinary vandalism.
The small square sits at the site in Trudering where British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on 6 February 1958 after failing to take off from Munich-Riem Airport. Twenty-three people died, including eight Manchester United players and two members of staff. The squad was returning from a European Cup tie in Belgrade.
‘They cannot steal our memories’
The Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation, which looks after the display with a local Bayern Munich fan club, said it was deeply saddened by the loss of the items.
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“Those responsible may have damaged a display case and stolen treasured items, but they cannot steal our memories, diminish our friendship or destroy the legacy of those we remember,” the foundation’s chair, Ifty Ahmed, told the BBC.
Red Docs Munich fitted new glass the same day
Red Docs Munich, a Bayern Munich supporters’ group based in Trudering, built the vitrine in 2020 to hold the scarves, shirts and keepsakes left at the memorial by visiting United supporters. Members of the group replaced the broken glass panel on the day of the break-in.
Manchester United offered to cover the repair bill. The foundation declined and said it would pay the costs itself.
A stone marker had been placed at the crash site in 2004, before the glass case was added sixteen years later. Manchesterplatz is a fixed stop on the itinerary for the United supporters who travel to Munich each February for the anniversary service.
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Munich police have not yet named the unit that will lead the investigation.
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