Manchester United legend Lou Macari has revealed he was sworn to secrecy after being informed about his MBE from King Charles. The former United and Scotland midfielder was awarded the honour in the King's Birthday Honours for services to football and homeless people in Stoke-on-Trent.
Charity Work
Macari, who was born in Edinburgh, moved to the Stoke area after managing Stoke City in the 1990s. He became increasingly concerned by the number of people sleeping rough, which led him to establish the Macari Foundation in 2016. The charity provides accommodation and support services to homeless individuals in the local community.
Secrecy Around the Honour
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Macari admitted he knew about the MBE for a while but was forced to keep it confidential until the official announcement. "I got a letter and the first two paragraphs said, 'Keep this a secret, don't let anyone know until a certain date.' I didn't tell anybody," he said. He added, "I have been walking past people and they're saying, 'You deserve a medal, you do' – and I couldn't say anything!"
Recipients of an MBE are typically notified four to six weeks before the official list is published, with a strict embargo on sharing the news.
Football Career
Macari was a prolific goal-scoring midfielder during his playing days, netting 97 goals in 404 appearances over 12 years at Old Trafford. He also represented Scotland at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. He joined United in 1973 for a £200,000 fee after starting his career at Celtic, where he was part of the famous Quality Street Gang alongside Kenny Dalglish and Danny McGrain.
After retiring, Macari had a brief stint as Celtic manager and also managed Swindon Town, West Ham, Birmingham City, and Huddersfield Town before focusing on charity work.
Recognition and Awareness
Speaking about the honour, Macari told the Press Association: "It all started when I saw six homeless people in a doorway in Stoke on a cold winter's night and went over to speak to them. I told them I would try to help them, I went to the council, got the keys to a property they had repossessed and quite simply that was the start of it all. I had no idea where it was going to go from there." He added, "Hopefully this honour will help increase awareness because although we are still trying and having some success, none of us have found a way to get rid of this problem."
