Sporting Bygones: Still carrying the fight on behalf of Leeds United after dreams of European glory were dashed by corrupt referee in Salonika

Forty years on from their one and only appearance in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the sores still fester for Leeds United.
Leeds United and AC Milan in May 1973Leeds United and AC Milan in May 1973
Leeds United and AC Milan in May 1973

Don Revie’s side were beaten 1-0 by AC Milan at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Salonika, Greece, on Wednesday, May 16, 1973.

That it came just 11 days after they famously lost to Sunderland in the FA Cup final, and after their Division One title challenge had fallen short, served only to add to the disappointment of Leeds fans.

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But where inconsistency was to blame for their title hopes unravelling, and the unforgettable goalkeeping feats of Jim Montgomery thwarted them at Wembley, it was the performance of Greek referee Christos Michas that so insensed United fans in Salonika.

Mr Michas awarded Milan a dubious free-kick in the fourth minute from which Luciano Chiarugi scored the only goal via a deflection.

It was one of many decisions by the official that appeared to favour the Italian club, who were largely outplayed by the Whites over 90 minutes.

Norman Hunter was also sent off near the end of the game.

If there was a sense of injustice bristling in United fans as they left the stadium and headed home it was only heightened when Mr Michas was later banned for life by UEFA for match-fixing.

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His role in the Cup Winners’ Cup final of 1973 was not investigated by UEFA, but it was by the Greek Football Association over allegations that he accepted a bribe from the Italian side.

For aggrieved Leeds fans, the investigations and the subsequent banning of Mr Michas gave their own sense of doubt in his performance greater credibility.

And their fight against his alleged bias goes on today, four decades on from that night in Greece.

In 2009, Yorkshire & Humber MEP Richard Corbett, presented a petition of 12,000 signatures to UEFA requesting that the result be overturned. UEFA did not act.

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Just last month, Rob Atkinson, a Leeds United fan and freelance blogger, launched a second petition to UEFA to have them retrospectively award the Cup and the winners’ medals to Leeds United.

With Mr Michas having died in August, 2010, Atkinson hopes UEFA will look at the case more sympathetically.

But is he confident the governing body will overturn the result?

“Not at all,” he said. “UEFA are totally intransigent.

“But the case is so compelling, the injustice so stark, that it can’t be let lie.”

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That sense of injustice was not only felt by the fans who had travelled thousands of miles to cheer their heroes on, or by those who watched the final at home on television, but by the players as well.

Trevor Cherry was a 25-year-old defender for Leeds in his first season at the club.

“We played well but the referee was dodgy, he certainly favoured Milan,” said Huddersfield-born Cherry, now 65.

“It was obvious to us that he was dodgy.

“As you get older, the time heals the wounds, but I’ve always been a bad loser and the referee’s performance left a nasty taste in my mouth.”

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The FA Cup final earlier that month had been Cherry’s first final, and it was he who drew the first reaction from Montgomery in a double save that is still recalled fondly four decades on.

“Sunderland beat us fair and square,” said Cherry. “They outworked us, which was something you could rarely say about any team against Leeds United in those days.

“But we were the better team against Milan.”

Cherry would later go on to captain England during his 10-year stay with Leeds United, although it could have been very different in the immediate aftermath of that infamous night in Salonika.

“The boss (Revie) sent for me and said he was going to Everton, and that he was taking me with him,” recalled Cherry.

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“I was only one of the young lads at the time, so you didn’t say yes or no, you just did as you were told.

“It was nice that he thought of me that way, and it turned out fine in the end with both him and me staying at Leeds.”

To sign the petition, visit robertatkinson61.wordpress.com

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