Newcastle Utd honours supporters killed in MH17 crash

English Premier League club Newcastle United on Sunday paid tribute to two of their supporters who were killed when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine last month.

John Alder, 63, and Liam Sweeney, 28, who were travelling to watch Newcastle’s pre-season tour of New Zealand, were among 298 people who died in the disaster.

Newcastle’s opening league game against Manchester City at St James’ Park was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of the pair, whose relatives laid floral tributes on the pitch prior to kick-off.

Newcastle also plan to open a memorial garden to the men outside the stadium and create a community award named after them.

The Boeing 777 exploded over insurgent-held east Ukraine on July 17, killing all on board, with the West accusing Russia-backed separatists of shooting it down and Moscow blaming Kiev.