A notable example of non-enforcement was in the 1957 – 58 FA Cup . Stan Crowther and Ernie Taylor would normally have been cup-tied and thus ineligible to play for Manchester United . However they were granted an exemption and allowed to play because the club had suffered the Munich air disaster earlier that season . In that air crash , eight United players died and two others were so seriously injured that they never played again , while five others had still not fully recovered from their injuries when the match was played . The Football Association therefore waived the cup-tied rule
Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
Cup-tied