Man Utd Kick Off South Africa Tour
First Vodacom Challenge Match to be Played Amid Club Uncertainty
When the first Vodacom Challenge fixture gets underway in Cape Town on the afternoon of July 19, it is reasonable to assume that the match will not be the only thing on the mind of Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Premiership and European Champions have had a few difficult months, with their headaches including the ongoing Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga, the departure of Assistant Manager Carlos Queiroz and, most recently, Tottenham Hotspur's allegations of transfer protocol infringements against them.
Spurs Complain to the Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur have reported Man Utd to the Premier League regarding methods used and public statements made in United's attempts to clinch the signature of Spurs' powerful Bulgarian striker, Dimitar Berbatov. Similar tactics employed in Real Madrid's pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo had enraged Sir Alex, and this latest turn of events must have fired him up even further. The Premier League have acknowledged that a complaint has been received from Tottenham and they will be making a ruling thereupon shortly.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The much-publicized battle of wills between Ronaldo and his current club continues to gain momentum. Ferguson met with his want-away player in Lisbon last week and emerged from their meeting extremely confident that the Portuguese star would remain on the Champion's books for the new season. No comment was received from Ronaldo though, and public opinion regarding his future remains divided. Former Man Utd players Roy Keane and David Beckham are among high profile football personalities reported to have encouraged Ronaldo to make the switch to Spain.
Carlos Queiroz
Former Real Madrid and South Africa Manager, Carlos Queiroz, is now also a former Man Utd Assistant Manager. Queiroz departed Old Trafford to take charge of Portugal earlier in July. It is well known that Sir Alex Ferguson regards Queiroz highly and was very sorry to see him leave Old Trafford. His departure leaves the club in a quandary as his calm demeanor and first rate interpersonal skills will be sorely missed. Rumors abound concerning a replacement, with former United talisman, Eric Cantona, having been mentioned amongst numerous others as Ferguson's new right hand man. One would anticipate a somewhat different dressing room atmosphere if the Frenchman got the nod!
The Current Tour
Man Utd will play three matches whilst in South Africa. They kick off the tour against local super club Kaiser Chiefs in Cape Town on 19 July and face Chiefs' biggest rivals Orlando Pirates in Durban three days later. The tour will end with a match against the winner of the 24 July Chiefs-Pirates encounter in Pretoria on July 26.
Man Utd has brought a full squad, with a few notable exceptions, to South Africa. Cristiano Ronaldo has not made the trip due to his three month lay-off following successful ankle surgery , and other absentees include Owen Hargreaves, also through injury, and Nani, Edwin van der Sar and Patrice Evra who have all been rested due to taking part in Euro 2008. Frenchman Louis Saha has also been omitted from the touring party, further fuelling speculation that he may be on his way out of Old Trafford.
After losing on penalties to Kaiser Chiefs in 2006, Man Utd supporters will be hoping that the playing staff and management can put the internal problems aside for ninety minutes and focus on their primary objective of beating the opposition without incurring injury, whilst also thrilling South African football fans already caught up in the frenzy of hosting the upcoming World Cup.
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