28 November 2023 , 08:00
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When Manchester United land in Istanbul on Tuesday, they will be spared the hostile 'Welcome to Hell' reception that greeted the squad 30 years ago.
Erik ten Hag and his players will encounter none of the fear, intimidation and threats Sir Alex Ferguson and his squad experienced back in 1993. United travelled to Turkey needing a win at Galatasaray to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals after a thrilling 3-3 draw at Old Trafford.
Before he left Manchester, Galatasaray boss Reiner Hollmann warned United of what lay in store for them when he chillingly said: “They will be waiting for you at the airport”.
But Ferguson and his players were unprepared for what they encountered when they disembarked their plane and walked into a wave of unprecedented noise and vitriol.
“I remember hundreds of fans in the airport were allowed in with placards saying ‘Welcome to Hell’ and other crazy things,” recalled Gary Pallister.
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“When we got to the hotel, I walked past this bellboy and he made a throat slit gesture. I was like 'wow, this is a bit different', but that's what we faced for most of the trip.”
Mike Phelan echoed Pallister's account, recalling the mayhem United encountered, with police powerless – or unwilling – to restrain the fans. “There were a lot of police there but the fans were just all shouting, jeering and holding up these placards that said we were going to die,” said Phelan.
“The evening before the match, there were phone calls being made to the rooms and stuff like that. I picked up my phone a couple of times during the night, so there were a fair few disturbances during the evening.”
Galatasaray fans welcome Manchester United players and officials to Istanbul at Ataturk Airport (EMPICS)Ferguson played down the hostile welcome when asked about the effect it had, memorably quipping: “You've obviously never seen a Glasgow wedding!” But there was no doubt his players felt intimidated. Pallister, who missed the game through injury, said: “I watched from the stands with Mark Hughes.
“We certainly felt intimidated there as well. We were right in the midst of it. You play in some hostile environments. Going to Liverpool is never easy. Going to Leeds is never easy. But in terms of just sheer volume of noise and so far before the beginning of the game, I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
The rancour that had been building exploded in a chaotic and violent end to the game, which ended 0-0, Galatasaray going through on away goals. Eric Cantona's sending-off towards the end was the catalyst for the mayhem that ensued at the final whistle.
Manchester United captain Bryan Robson leads his team out, followed by goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel (EMPICS Sport)Bryan Robson walked Cantona off the pitch and the pair joined by a police officer, who launched an unprovoked assault on the Frenchman. “Eric had lost his temper but I'd got him calmed down and I said 'let's go back to the dressing-room'," said Robson.
“The policeman joined us halfway across the pitch, and when we reached the tunnel steps, as soon as Eric went to go down, he just punched him in the back of the head.
“I swung round to try to catch the policeman, but by this time all the police had come in with riot shields and pushed me and Eric down the stairs. That's where I received a gash on my arm."
Yet United's ordeal was not over, even when they reached the relative sanctuary of the team bus to take them out of the Ali Sami Yen Stadium. “We had the coach window put through on the way back to the hotel,” recalled Pallister.
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“It was down near the front of the bus and we went back for part of the journey with the window missing.” When United returned to Manchester, Ferguson vowed never to go back to Turkey. That was until United drew Galatasaray again the following season and were handed a return to hell.