Welcome back to hell: United prepare to face Galatasaray 19 years on from infamous clash

Nineteen years on from their first visit to 'hell', Manchester United are preparing to head into the lion's den that is Galatasaray's home once more.



But when Sir Alex Ferguson's men walk out for their Champions League clash in Istanbul on Tuesday night they are unlikely to be greeted with such vitriolic hostility as they did when they faced the Turkish side for the first time at the Ali Sami Yen back in November 1993.

Welcome to hell: United are greeted with hostile banners back in 1993

WHAT THEY SAID...

Ryan Giggs isn't the only man to remember United's trip to Istanbul vividly. Here's what his team-mates and manager had to say about the arduous experience...

'I remember their manager, Reiner Hollmann, warned us that their fans would be "waiting for you" at the airport. He wasn’t wrong! When we landed there were hundreds of fans at the airport, singing and chanting, some of them right in our faces.'

Former full back Denis Irwin.

'It was very intimidating - I have never experienced anything like it in my life.'

Former centre back Gary Pallister.

'They do everything they can to sunsettle you - they'll sing outside your hotel to keep you up all night, they'll hit their flag sticks on your coach.'

Former captain Bryan Robson.



Rewind 19 years and the two clubs were paired together in the second round of Europe's elite club competition. The first leg had been drawn 3-3 at Old Trafford, giving the Turkish side the edge on away goals heading into the second leg - and their fans were determined to press home an advantage they could.



Banners reading 'welcome to hell' greeted United on their arrival at Ataturk airport. They seemed unfazed but they should have taken it as a sign of things to come as life certainly wouldn't get any easier for the players or the fans.



Off the pitch, police arrested 178 Manchester United fans after a battle which wrecked an Istanbul hotel. In fact, more than 140 were deported without watching their team, while six fans charged with damage and public disorder were held for several days before facing a court.

On the pitch the violence continued as a mass brawl ensued after the final whistle following Eric Cantona's sending off.



Veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs - 19 at the time - remembers it well.

Brawl: Cantona (left) scuffles with Galatasaray players, leading to his dismissal

'I remember it vividly. It will always stick with me,' said the 38-year-old ahead of the trip to the Türk Telekom Arena, which =replaced the 35,000-seater Ali Sami Yen stadium in 2007.

'I was 19 and, when we arrived at the airport, there were all the banners and fans. Thousands of fans screaming at you.

Fanatical: Fans at the Ali Semi Yen stadium

'There were things being thrown at us when we were driving away on the coach. Outside the hotel their fans were chanting all night, making sure we didn't get any sleep. People were phoning the hotel room.



'Prior to the game, the manager told us to go on the pitch and sample the atmosphere.

'The fans had been in the ground for hours and hours. The atmosphere was buzzing 90 minutes before kick-off.

Shock: United could only draw 3-3 at Old Trafford

'We were stood in the middle of the pitch watching the fans chant. It was one stand to another.'



Whether the fans' behaviour had an impact is hard to tell, but United underperformed as they had done in the first leg and could only draw 0-0 as they were sent crashing out.



The drama didn't end there though as the visitors had Eric Cantona sent off in the dying embers of the game, resulting in a brawl at the final whistle involving both players and fans.

Clash: Mark Hughes brawls at the final whistle

'When we came off the pitch, it was chaos,' Giggs said.



'Eric had already been sent off and the way back to the dressing room was underneath the pitch.



'There were armed police either side - not the kind of people you would ever mess with. They had helmets, batons, were all ready. And it just kicked off.

Firestarter: Galatasaray fans celebrate at the final whistle

GALATASARAY FACTFILE

Formed: 1905

Turkish league titles: 18

Champions League best: Semi-final (1988-89)

Record v Man United: P5 W0 D3 L2

Champions League record this year: P4 W1 D1 L2

League position: 1st

Manager: Fatih Terim

Stadium: Türk Telekom Arena (capacity: 52,652)

Key player: Felipe Melo

'I was just trying to get back to the safety of the dressing room as quickly as possible.



'Obviously not at the time because we lost and went out, but it was a great experience for us.



'They were a good team then and they will be a good team now.'

United have faced Galatasaray three times since their infamous first trip to the Ali Sami Yen, the following season they exacted their revenge with a 4-0 win at Old Trafford in the group stage, but once again could only draw 0-0 in Istanbul.



September's clash at Old Trafford saw an early Michael Carrick strike separate the two sides, meaning if United can shut out the Turkish giants for a fourth consecutive match and continue their unbeaten European season so far, the Ali Sami Yen will feel more like heaven than hell.

Au revoir: Cantona is marched off the pitch by Turkish police following his red card

HOW SPORTSMAIL SAW IT AT THE TIME...

ERIC CANTONA was sent off amid astonishing scenes here last night as a depressed Manchester United fell prey to Turkish football's finest hour. Cantona - acknowledged to have a volatile temperament - had been incensed by the time-wasting of Galatasaray as they succeeded in protecting their three goals at Old Trafford with a goalless draw to secure a place in the Champions' League of the European Cup.

As the Turkish players sank to their knees around him, Cantona picked the wrong man at whom to direct a mouthful of his mother-tongue. Referee Kurt Rothlisberger - a French teacher from Switzerland - spun around and immediately showed the red card to the United striker. It was not the final ignominy on a woeful night for English football.

Cantona was struck by a Turkish policeman as he struggled to get down the tunnel to the dressing rooms and Bryan Robson was hit by a policeman's shield, needing two stitches in an arm wound.

The Frenchman said: `I was hit as I left the pitch and that is a giant scandal. I don't argue about the red card, I just went over to the referee and told him what a bad referee he was. Galatasaray may be a little team, so are Manchester United.'

Manager Alex Ferguson said of the tunnel incidents: `We are not going to make any complaints about this.

`We were beaten and we're out of the European Cup fair and square. We are disappointed with the performance, we didn't play well enough and that is the simple truth. Our passing wasn't good enough and then it became a matter of desperation. The game ended a shambles.

`Cantona was sent off because he complained about no time being added on. There was hardly more than a minute. A lot of frustration crept into the game because our players could hardly control the ball on a bumpy pitch.'

Cantona had been involved in a 75th-minute incident when he ran off the field to retrieve the ball and kicked it into the Turkish bench, knocking over an official as he ran. It provoked a crazy scene where the Frenchman was surrounded by jostling players and the entire Galatasaray bench, including coach Reiner Hollmann. Incredibly, the referee took no action but Ferguson added: `Eric is desperate to do well and he might have over-reacted.'

Even though Galatasaray had not been beaten at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in the European Cup for a decade, they were hardly prepared for this night as they claimed one of the most precious scalps in world football. United return to the more mundane matters of a local derby against City at Maine Road on Sunday knowing that a fortune has been snatched from their grasp as adeptly as the pick-pockets who roam the back alleys of this teeming city.

The English champions stood to make at least £5 million should they have reached the stage where they would play six matches in the mini-league series against such teams as AC Milan, Barcelona and Anderlecht. Now they will have to make do with something a little more prosaic.

United are so far ahead in the Premiership that it will take something calamitous to prevent them coming straight back into the European Cup next time around, but that was little consolation to Ferguson as the smoke parted across the huge bowl of Galatasaray's stadium last night.

By Neil Harman





