TURIN-Colonel Meroni manoeuvred the plane lower, banking left in fog - conditions were poor, but he was confident of landing the three engine Fiat G2.12 on second approach. On the radio he interrupted the static to file his updated flight path: "quota 200 metri. QDM Su Pino, poi tagliamo su Superga." Four minutes later the plane crashed against the rear wall of the Basilica di Superga, killing all 31 on board. Among them 18 of the greatest footballers Italy had ever seen.

 The Turin team that perished May 4 1949 was one of the great teams of football, comparable to the likes of Real Madrid in the Fifties or Ajax in the 70s. It was a team cut down in its prime. They had just won their fifth scudetto in a row, and would probably have already won more if it hadn’t been for the hiatus caused by the Second World War. After the war, the side had captured the imagination of a renascent Italy and set records that survive to this day. In 1947 the Italian national side fielded a team against Hungary, where all ten of the eleven outfield players played for F.C Torino.

 When the crash occurred the teams were travelling back from Lisbon, where they had participated in a friendly match. Earlier in the week, Turin’s neighbours Juve had played Benfica in Turin with Benfica passing through to the Final of the UEFA cup final, which is to be played at Juventus stadium. While here a delegation from the club visited the Basilica to pay their respects. It was, and still is, the greatest tragedy in Italian sport, and one which is strongly felt by fans of the Toro in Turin.

 Last night, players and fans attended a mass at the Basilica of La Superga to commemorate the 65th anniversary. The service started at eight to allow the Torino squad enough time to arrive after playing an away game at Chievo. As early as 7pm fans gathered at the base of the hill to cheer the team bus as it passed. Then they simply followed it up the hill, by car, bike or bus. The slightly less fortunate among them made the steep journey on foot.

 The summit of the hill was a sea of maroon flags and scarves. Some fans drank bear and sang songs, some chatted somberly, and others merely enjoyed the view of the city below. Hundreds of the more pious fans crammed into the church for a special mass, at which the team where present. Other fans simply waited outside for the team to emerge, eager to catch a glimpse of their sporting heroes.

 As the mass finished and the team emerged from the Basilica, the crowd formed a guard of honor and cheered them as they passed. Then the crowd slowly took the road down the mountain, content to have made their yearly pilgrimage in honor of Il Grande Torino.