When a United fan first meets another United fan, it doesn’t take long for the topic of conversation to drift to the European Cup final 1999. Where were you? How did you celebrate? Where did it rank with great moments in your life?
There are thousands of lucky people who were in Barcelona, there are a few million fairly lucky people who go to watch it in Manchester, then there are people all over the country and all over the World, all glued to the action and all with their own story to tell about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s goal.
Yesterday, a reader of RoM shared their memory of that brilliant night, which comes as a massive contrast to how the majority of us enjoyed that evening!
Sierra Leone, in Western Africa, was split by a raging civil war which lasted for ten years, in which tens of thousands of people died. The rebels were guilty of heinous crimes, with their trademark being to butcher those who opposed them, chopping off their hands and feet.
This war ended in 2002, three years after that night at the Nou Camp, meaning reds in Sierra Leone had a more difficult time in watching the game than most of us! Here is Chernor Jalloh’s story…
I am a Sierra Leonean living in Freetown, our capital city.
Before the 1999 Champions League final, the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) rebels had attacked Freetown and caused a lot of destruction and killing so many people including my elder brother, Umaru Deen Jalloh.
After negotiations with rebels had failed, the government and the international community resorted to using force to get the rebels out of the city. A Nigerian led intervention force was sent to Sierra Leone to fight the rebels out of Freetown.
After about a month of fighting, the rebels were cleared off the city and they sought refuge in the hills surrounding Freetown.
The then SLPP government led by Tejan Kabba imposed curfew in the city first starting at 3pm local time. As stability seemed to return to the city the curfew was shifted to 6pm and that was the period when the Champions League final was played. At that time, I managed to watch most of the Premier League games because they are played in the afternoon. I managed to watch the FA Cup final against Newcastle and some other games, but my main worry was the Champions League final which would be shown in the evening, after the curfew. I had to scout all over the place for a cinema that is willing to take the risk of showing the game. No cinema around my area was willing to take such a risk as the government troops were killing flouters for fun.
My mate, knowing how passionate I am about Manchester United, arranged for us to watch the game at Big Master on a TV with a zero tolerance for noise. We arrived there at 5pm and we were taken to a very big and dark parlour where nobody was allowed to celebrate or make any form of noise that would alert the government troops around. We sat there nervously until the game finally started. I had a small radio that was always tuned to BBC World Service and immediately after the focus on Africa news ended the commentary began whilst we were watching.
Whilst listening to the commentary I realised that the radio was faster than the pictures from the telly. I almost flouted the in house rules when I heard about the Bayern’s goal on the radio first!
Just after our equaliser, the light was taken by our National Power Authority. I suspect it was as a result of heavy gun shots that we had heard very close to where we were watching. I did not see the winning goal live but heard it on the radio amid heavy gun shots.
My father was furious with me absconding from home since about 2pm the previous day. Our family was mourning the death of my bother and my dad threatened to send me to Conakry if I was ever to leave the house for more than two hours! After getting in enough trouble from him, I called my little sister to tell her where I actually was and explained to her that United had won the European Cup but she had no interest in football.
It took me two weeks to see my mate again to talk about football because I hadn’t been allowed me to leave the house. It was a conversation that was worth waiting for though!
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I was 16 years old in my bedroom contemplating the meaning of life while we were 1-0 down entering stoppage time.
I was thinking we can’t be losing the European Cup Final with Schmeichel letting the ball in and we have played so well in this competition beating the best to get here. This can’t be it.
Then Solskjaer won a corner. The rest is history.
that was some story from cherry… top marks lad… thats fanaticism!
i was in the pub getting pissed, was still celebrating the first when ole’s went in… what a fucking night…
Nice of you to put the story in full.As i said yesterday,i had no idea how much hell others could be going through.I am glad United made that evening for them a bit better.
Amazing story, and great commitment to the cause!
Dear, just how lucky we are – even if we don’t get to Old Trafford we can watch from the comforts of our living room or some noisy pub where celebrating isn’t banned but is rather obligatory!
Top story, hats off!
hay man that was tough fair play to you and your friends,(i tought this was hardship)i was stuck in a 1 bedroom flat with my now wife for the match,i nearly fell into the flat underneath when manchester united scored,now have a house and 2 girls,one called dennis and the other called keano,(joking)can you tell im from ireland
I was in karbala-iraq, watching it so tensly.
But when sloskajear scored i didnt know where i was.
I was back home in Zimbabwe, my first year at High school and I had a 9pm bedtime curfew during school nights but my dad, being the man who brought United to me, let me stay up and watch the final. It was the most significant moment in my young life. Solskjaers goal was so significant that I can still remember it as vividly as I did back then. I have a brother-in-law who was actually in the Nou Camp that night. However, no matter how special Ole’s goal was, I feel privileged to say that I was present at Old Trafford the day Ole made his United Debut against Blackburn.
i watched it in the kitchen of my mams house with my dad
so last years final me and my brother turned down all offers to watch it in the kitchen with my mam
brave of u cherry.wonder how many of us would risk our lives in such times to watch the match
Back in 1999 i wasn’t a football fan and nor a United fan.I only became a united fan in 04-05 season. But just a few days ago i was watching the season review of 99 and it was then only i realised what i had missed.The 99 season was very special season. Even though we might win the quadruple this season but 99 will always be the most special to me.Just because of the style of our play and how we came back from the brink of defeat and win was just Extra special.
5 of us got to paris on the monday night and then we took some crazy train from paris to barcalona we got off in perpinion? 10 hrs of none stop partying staggered of the train and into the hotel then staggered out the hotel and into the pubs and then went to barcalona on the wednesday morning took 4hrs to get to barcalona so we set fire to wee Davy Bruces head for a laugh when he was sleeping on the train hes still got the scars then went for a beer with Robbo and Big Viv in some boozer in barca, well when i say i went for a beer? i really mean is we spotted them in a boozer and basically went and pesterd them to fuck, i couldnt believe i met Robbo of all days to meet your hero fucking brilliant i was sat outside the camp nou pissed as a fart clutching my snide ticket that i was hoping was gonna get me in, got me passed all the cordons and i chanced it at the gate about 3 times in the end i cut my losses and sat with a group of lads from cornwall i met and listened to the game on the radio i fell a sleep at some point and woke up with someone pouring beer on my face telling me to wake up and that we won, i was rat arsed covered in fuck knows and happy as a pig in shit, i managed to get a lift from some jersey reds who drove me to my hotel about 200 miles away and went to bed andwaited for the other 4 lads to come back ( i got seperated from them ) 3 came back at about 5 oclock thursday and 1 went to marsaille by mistake eventually we got him but for some reason he went and got the marsaille crest badge tattooed on his arm when he was there, we got the crazy train back to paris on the friday morning and i slept all the way, brilliant what i remember fucking brilliant
I was 14 and there! The best day of my life!
Wow, thank you so much for sharing your story – I feel humbled. I was 11 at the time and now feel very lucky that I got to watch it at home.
wow. this is brilliant. thank you so much for sharing
Will never forget that night. It is what I had waited 17 years as a United fan to see. Respect Cherry.
Salute to you, Chernor Jalloh!
I live in Indonesia, where we can watch the match for free airing in our national tv station. I was 15 that day, and i watched it in my Grandma’s house, alone and without no sound too. It’s aired on 2 in the morning. I’m afraid that i’d woke her up.
By the time Solksjaer scores, i was jumping around and screaming like a maniac! I don’t care, cos United win. And yes, she do waked and ask me what happened. What a brilliant moment in my life.
I was in my house, I came in and out of two houses and then my house with my dad, when they scored the winner me and my dad jumped up and dwna dn ran around the house, a phew hours later I went to france with my school great times,
in my house sitting on the floor 2 feet form the t.v….my mother was asleep on the sofa beside me….when they equailised i hit the roof then me mother hit my face for waking her then ole scored and the rest is a euphoric blur….goodtimes
Chernor, your story and passion for the game is tops. United is lucky to have you as a fan. None of our stories, even though Sten’s is really funny, can top yours for sheer determination. Hope your ability to watch last season’s final was under better conditions and this year will be even better!
i was 16 back then. and i couldn’t name myself the united fan because i neither had nor the internet nor the possibility to watch even 90% of the United games. that’s why i am just reading your wonderful stories and regret i haven’t been that lucky as someone of you.
Love you, ManUnited.
i was nine years old, at the time i was in nirvana and i remeber the enxt day we had a school trip and me and my mates sang glory glory man united on th coach on the way and our teacher Mrs Eddington bought us man united scarves at JD before we left cos she was an united fan too. Good times, Im sure when i get older the day we won in the nou camp will probablly be my earliest memory when Im old.
My grandmother died on the same day…the match was on about 2 AM my time and I was only a little one but my Dad and I were going delirious after Ole’s goal…I never quite understood the magnititude of the moment..my Dad celebrating despite my gran dying. Shows you the power of sport and this great club.
was 9 years old and was allowed to stay up that night just to watch the final. the best night of my life before that night was watching utd playing inter away, went fucking crazy. i wasnt a utd die hard at that age because i was only young and watching the final cemented the club deep into my heart.
step dad was a united fan and we both went absolutely nuts when teddy’s went in, only just sat back down in time to see ole’s go in and then even my mum joined in the celebrations and she hates football lol.the new best night of my life.
I was 11 years old, in Delhi, and the bloody cable operator lost his signal after 85 minutes had been completed…
I remember crying as I went to bed, sleepy as fuck because it was the first time I’d stayed up till 3 or 4 AM..
The next morning I wake and I put on the sports channels…and it said everywhere “congratulations manchester united for winning the treble”…
one of the biggest regrets of my life…If I met that cable guy now I’d kick his ass
On a stool in front of the fireplace at my Mum’s because I couldn’t sit still. I just remember shouting in disbelief when Ole won it. Still never seen anything like it, and it topped the way Jordan had carried the Bulls the year before (anyone else used to watch the NBA Finals in the middle of the night…on C4, was it?)
I watched it in Best’s Bar in Los Angeles, got offered a job out in Palm Springs LA and couldnt knock it back, there was a few Reds in but i watched it with a German guy who supported Munich 1860, i went mental when Ole’s goal went in but believe me, this German lad was just as happy as i was, made it to Moscow though..
@stenhousmuir red, you wiped the stains off your Robbo picture in your living room yet?.. lol