On this day (1 September) in 1958 it was revealed that Manchester United were to be prevented from taking a special place that had been awarded to them in the European Cup. UEFA had offered United the place as a mark of sympathy following the Munich Air Crash and the FA had approved the move but then discussions within the League proved problematic, leading to the Football League banning the move.
This cutting even quotes an unnamed official who basically said the European Cup is for champions and United ‘are not the English champions.’ It was all a mess and distasteful.
To understand the full story/impact of the Munich Air Disaster and how it affected all of Manchester then have a read of this:
Gary James' Football Archive 