Sir Alex Ferguson commends rival Manchester City which plans to lay reef in Munich in memory of Manchester United's 1958 air crash

The Scot has praised the spirit of his rivals after learning of their plans to leave a tribute at the memorial of the disaster before their Champions League match in Germany 

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has commended the spirit of fierce rivals Manchester City, after learning of the club's plans to lay a reef at the memorial to the 1958 Munich air crash during their trip to Germany.

"We appreciate that from Manchester City and of course one of their own former players was killed in the crash," Ferguson said.

City are set to commemorate the disaster, which killed 20 of the 44 passengers on the plane, including Manchester United players, staff and journalists, before their Champions League away game against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.Ferguson has reacted by praising the spirit of their local rivals, saying that it shines a good light on an industry which often receives a lot of bad press.
"I think it's refreshing," he said. "It shows the game is not as bad as we often think. If that's the case, well done."