Manchester United and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton’s memorial service is set to take place at Manchester Cathedral on Monday, 13 November as fans prepare to say farewell to the greatest English footballer there ever was.
That being said, a formal memorial service is also scheduled to take place in the city centre, where fans will be able to pay their respects to a beloved sporting hero.
The memorial procession will pass the club’s home ground, with fans advised to use the E2 car park and arrive at the East Stand forecourt from 1pm before the car passes the Trinity Statue around 1:30pm on its way to Manchester Cathedral, where the private funeral service itself will take place at 2pm.
Sir Bobby Charlton's funeral will take place on Monday 13 November at 14:00 GMT.
Full details and information on how you can pay your respects at Old Trafford and Manchester Cathedral can be found below. #MUFC
United confirm the timings and details surrounding Sir Bobby Charlton’s memorial service.
As confirmed in an update from United, although Sir Bobby‘s funeral service will obviously be a solemn occasion, it will focus on celebrating and paying tribute to “Sir Bobby’s incredible life as a husband, father, grandfather and, of course, as one of the finest footballers this country has ever produced.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The procession to the Cathedral will pass by Old Trafford for a moment of reflection and provide an opportunity for fans to say a final farewell to a true Manchester United legend.”
It is expected that up to 1,000 guests will be present at the cathedral where eulogies will be delivered by relatives and members of the club.
ADVERTISEMENT
During their two competitive fixtures following Charlton’s death, the club held a minute’s silence and a minute’s applause for their former player and long-serving Director, as well as holding an emotional pre-match dedication on both occasions.
The memorabilia placed by mourning fans has now also been carefully relocated to the Old Trafford Museum and will join the tributes left by fans following the passing of Sir Matt Busby in 1994.
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition, the club has confirmed that all the plastic will be removed from the floral tributes and will be recycled, with all flowers being composted and used in the gardens at the Carrington Training Complex. Sir Bobby’s family have also asked that instead of flowers, fans donate to one of the charities that meant so much to him:
It’s hard to find the words to sum up a man who meant so much not only to football but countless people in Greater Manchester and beyond, but we gave it a go nonetheless. RIP.
Featured Image — The Manc Group/Man United (via X)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
1st November 2023 
