Belfast Plans Memorial to George Best

George Best died in London at the Cromwell Hospital on 25th November and even before his funeral had taken place there was talk in Northern Ireland about a fitting memorial to commemorate arguably the greatest player the world has ever seen.

To their credit, Belfast City Council has already unanimously approved plans to erect a permanent memorial in the form of a statue or a sculpture in the grounds of City Hall, and it was reported in BBC and other news bulletins that George’s father Dickie “thinks it’s a wonderful idea”.

Now it will be interesting to discover what plans there may be in Manchester. Back in December 2005, the Manchester United website published a piece entitled “Best Memorial To Get Careful Consideration” which stated that “United officials will take their time deciding on the most fitting permanent tribute to George Best” and referred to Director of Communications Phil Townsend’s view that the club would not be pressured into moving too quickly on a fitting memorial.

It’s gratifying to know that the Belfast City Council have come up with an excellent proposal, without any evidence of having been ‘pressured’ by anyone. Now many people, especially fans of Manchester United, will hope that the club will soon do the same – particularly in the light of adverse publicity recently on the treatment of some players who survived the Munich air crash in February 1958, a disaster which claimed the lives of eight of the famous ‘Busby Babes’.