The Great Euro Robbery: Fifty years on from the 1975 European Cup final, Leeds supporters are still convinced they were robbed by Bayern Munich, writes MATT BARLOW

One sport survives like no different in Leeds United legend. One sport that seldom fails to stir the feelings inside Elland Highway. And that sport is half a century outdated tomorrow.

‘I don’t assume you neglect it,’ says Joe Jordan, who’s amongst those that featured in it. ‘To succeed in a European Cup ultimate doesn’t occur usually and a few years have handed by and a whole lot of the gamers are, sadly, not with us any extra, however I don’t assume you possibly can ever neglect it.

‘You look again and attempt to analyse, however the result’s there. We misplaced the sport and that was an enormous disappointment for me, for everybody within the dressing room and for all of the Leeds followers.

‘It was a sport we must always have gained, mainly, and we didn’t. There have been sure circumstances, however the details are we didn’t win the sport and that’s it, that’s all you possibly can say, that’s soccer.’

This the European Cup ultimate of 1975, Leeds vs Bayern Munich in Paris, the final hurrah for the good crew constructed by Don Revie on the finish of their tumultuous first season with out him.

Bayern gained 2-0, the second of their mid-Nineteen Seventies hat-trick of European titles, however that’s solely half the story.

The sport is shrouded in controversy with many believing Leeds ought to have had a penalty

Peter Lorimer had a objective dominated out for offside regardless of confusion that it had been given at first

‘The legacy of that sport, the failure of that crew to win the European Cup they deserved, the sentiments of injustice and the next UEFA punishments are among the many causes Leeds remains to be such an enormous membership,’ says Rocco Dean, creator of The Sons of Revie.

‘I used to be introduced up with these tales and the sensation of a crew robbed and that feeling has generated the eagerness you continue to get inside Elland Highway. That’s the legacy.

‘Followers nonetheless sing “Champions of Europe” each week and it’s not one thing that may go away. It’s not simply concerning the European Cup ultimate as a result of it does run rather a lot deeper. It’s the entire story of that period and it’s superb the way it led to that crescendo.

‘It was one final likelihood for Leeds to cement themselves into historical past as champions of Europe and it was taken from them, we expect unfairly.’

Michel Kitabdjian, the French referee who died 5 years in the past on the age of 89, was on the coronary heart of the controversy after failing to offer a penalty for a foul by Franz Beckenbauer on Allan Clarke and ruling out a Peter Lorimer objective.

Confusion descended after the Lorimer objective, a volley from exterior the penalty space, because the officers appeared to sign a objective after which change their minds after Beckenbauer spoke to the assistant referee. Solely then did they rule Billy Bremner offside.

‘It has lived on as a result of it was so blatant,’ says Frank Grey, who performed at left again. ‘Everybody who sees the footage thinks, “Why wasn’t {that a} penalty and why wasn’t that objective given?”

‘If VAR had been round then, they’d have gone in our favour, however on the evening the referee made a few unhealthy selections. It was not his finest sport, put it that approach.’

Former Leeds full-back Frank Grey mentioned that Franz Beckenbauer’s problem on Allan Clarke was a ‘blatant’ penalty

Joe Jordan (pictured enjoying for Leeds in 1976) says ‘it was a sport we must always have gained’

A contest dominated by Leeds till that time took a twist. Franz Roth scored on the break and Gerd Muller snatched the second as Leeds piled ahead.

‘I felt unhealthy for among the older gamers,’ admits Grey. ‘I used to be solely 20 on the time, I knew for me there is likely to be different probabilities and I used to be fortunate sufficient to play in one other ultimate and win it with Nottingham Forest towards Hamburg. However for the likes of Billy Bremner, Johnny Giles, Norman Hunter and my brother Eddie, all of us knew realistically this could be their final likelihood to win the large one.

‘They’d achieved a lot for the membership and that might have been the head, one thing they in all probability deserved. It might have been an unimaginable second and I genuinely did really feel sorry for them.’

Dean’s e-book centres on the ten top-flight seasons beneath Revie and pitches them within the ranks of soccer’s nice however under- appreciated sides.

‘They had been actually underrated,’ says Dean. ‘No person talks about Leeds as one of many nice English groups and that might have been totally different had they gained that ultimate.

‘In these 10 years beneath Revie, they misplaced solely 3 times to Manchester United with the Holy Trinity of George Finest, Bobby Charlton and Denis Regulation. When you weight all the outcomes to a few factors for a win, they averaged 1.95 factors a sport from 1965 to 1974, the identical as Liverpool for the ten years from 1976 to 1985.

‘Liverpool gained seven league titles and 4 European Cups. Leeds gained two league titles. Forest gained the European Cup twice, however Leeds dominated for 10 years. They had been the favourites for every thing ever yr and went onerous after each trophy, solely to be largely forgotten.’

Originally of the 1974-75 the legendary Don Revie left Leeds to take cost of England

Jimmy Armfield was persuaded to step in after Brian Clough and took cost of the ultimate

Revie had change into England supervisor and the 1974-75 season began with the notorious 44 days beneath Brian Clough. Jimmy Armfield stepped in, persuaded by his pal Revie to depart Bolton to calm the Leeds storm.

By the ultimate whistle within the Parc des Princes, nonetheless, even Armfield, revered as one of many gents of English soccer, discovered his diplomacy examined.

‘I’d by no means seen my dad so offended after a match,’ says Duncan Armfield, certainly one of his sons. ‘He was good at accepting defeat. He cherished the sport and if he was overwhelmed by a a greater crew there can be no malice. Like when he didn’t play within the 1966 World Cup ultimate, he mentioned it was much better that we gained.

‘Dad was fuming. He took his piddly little medal and threw it on the ground. He knew one thing wasn’t proper and for me to see him like that, I knew one thing was improper. He was extra upset for the followers and the gamers.

‘He had pulled them again up the league they usually had performed brilliantly to beat Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona within the semi-finals. Leeds had been the most effective crew in Europe. They felt cheated and that feeling of disappointment lasted a very long time.’

Armfield’s medal was recovered from the dressing-room ground and there are plans for it to go on show as a part of his assortment within the Nationwide Soccer Museum.

Travelling Leeds followers didn’t take the end result effectively. They began to interrupt up the stadium and throw seats after Bayern scored, and rioted into the evening. Leeds legend Bobby Collins was caught up within the combating exterior the bottom and overwhelmed up.

There’s one other perspective on all of it. Bjorn Andersson was 23 and solely 10 months into his profession at Bayern Munich when a sickening problem by Terry Yorath left him writhing in ache within the fourth minute.

Leeds supporters outraged on the end result ripped out the seats contained in the Parc des Princes

Mail Sport spoke to Bjorn Andersson (pictured in 1975) in his residence in Sweden about how the ultimate ended his profession whereas solely 23 years of age

Uli Hoeness, later president of Bayern however then their centre ahead, described it because the worst deal with he had seen and the grainy footage helps his case. Had there been VAR, Leeds will surely have performed many of the ultimate with 10 males.

‘All the things in my knee was destroyed,’ Andersson tells Mail Sport from his residence in Sweden. ‘There have been a whole lot of feelings. Strolling out of the tunnel, I can keep in mind the Leeds gamers speaking robust and aggressively.

‘I used to be not afraid, however I had a sense they had been offended and that this is likely to be their approach of getting up for the sport.

‘Our tactical plan was for me to play towards Billy Bremner and hold him out of the sport. After two minutes, I get an elbow in my eye from Billy. It took a minute or so earlier than I may see usually once more after which Terry Yorath got here flying into my knee and my European Cup ultimate crashed. It was an enormous, large, large harm.’

Andersson was carried off and didn’t make the medal ceremony, by no means receiving one. He took painkillers to get by way of the post-match banquet and went on to hospital in Munich, staying there for 4 weeks. He spent eight weeks in plaster.

His surgeon advised him he would by no means play once more. ‘That was troublesome to listen to,’ says Andersson. ‘I can keep in mind considering there was no purpose to stay. Soccer was every thing for me.’

No person visited from Bayern apart from Hoeness, who had additionally been injured within the ultimate and was usually on the similar hospital. The membership even withheld greater than half of Andersson’s win bonus as he solely performed 4 minutes.

Andersson did play once more. He made the bench for the 1976 European Cup ultimate towards Saint-Etienne, when Bayern accomplished the hat-trick, and performed within the Intercontinental Cup ultimate of 1976 towards Cruzeiro of Brazil, earlier than accepting he would by no means be the identical participant once more.

Leeds at the moment are on the rise and again within the Premier League after 50 years of highs and lows

In the meantime, Bayern are nonetheless on the prime of European soccer and simply gained the Bundesliga

He returned to Sweden, the place he turned a instructor and performed part-time earlier than working in youth improvement and training with the Swedish FA, nurturing younger gamers like Fredrik Ljungberg.

Now he has two synthetic knees and holds no malice. ‘When you find yourself 73 and you’ll stroll and chortle and revel in life, you can not look again on the unhealthy issues,’ he says.

‘I’ve learn Terry Yorath has remorse about my harm, however I used to be by no means offended with him. That will not assist anyone. It was a sizzling factor for me on the time. I used to be on the way in which to changing into an excellent participant and was regular after that.

‘It’s no downside to talk about it, however I don’t keep in mind something concerning the sport that occurred after my harm. They mentioned Leeds had been the most effective crew on the day, however I don’t learn about that.’

Leeds flew residence to a rapturous reception, tens of 1000’s of followers lining the streets, however it could by no means be the identical once more.

Giles left for West Brom that summer time. Bremner and Hunter left a yr later for Hull and Bristol Metropolis respectively. Bayern tried to purchase Jordan. Leeds refused to let him go, however the pattern was set. The break-up of the crew was bolstered by a ban from European competitions for the rioting, decreased on attraction to 2 years.

‘We may have changed these nice gamers with equally top-class gamers if we had gained the European Cup,’ says Grey. ‘We may have gone on. It may have been a special story.’

Fifty years on and Bayern stay among the many aristocrats of European soccer, whereas Leeds have been by way of good occasions and unhealthy. They’re upwardly cell as soon as once more, although, heading again to the Premier League, however they nonetheless sing concerning the evening they had been robbed of their best hour.