Man U matches were rigged, says former player

Some Manchester United matches were fixed in the 1960s, former goalkeeper Harry Gregg has alleged.

The Munich air crash survivor, who played with some of the club's greatest names including George Best and Bobby Charlton, claims in extracts from his book Harry's Game in Sunday's News of the World newspaper that certain players cashed in on rigged matches.

"Yes, match-fixing went on at the biggest club in the world -- Manchester United," the 69-year-old says. "They know who they are and the shame will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

"It is an event in United's history that disgusts me because they should never have been allowed to tarnish such a great club."

The report claims that several matches were thrown during the 1963-64 season, although Gregg says corruption continued after he left the club in 1966.

The report also alleges that former Manchester United manager Matt Busby had suspected that match-fixing was going on.

"There was nothing he could do," adds Gregg. "If he had blown the whistle, everything he had stood for, and the work he had put into the club following the Munich air crash, would have been undone.

"His instinct would have been to expose them but he put the club first."

Officials from Manchester United could not be reached late on Saturday to comment on the allegations.

A total of 23 people lost their lives when the plane carrying the United team back from a European tie against Red Star Belgrade in February 1958 crashed soon after take-off following a re-fuelling stopover in Munich.