When Manchester United were last in South Africa, in 1993, the club were on a high. A campaign driven by Eric Cantona had seen them crowned inaugural Premier League winners — their first English top division title in 26 years.
They lost to Arsenal at Ellis Park in a match marred by referee Errol Sweeney’s dismissal of United skipper Bryan Robson, then played Kaizer Chiefs in a double-header at FNB — with Orlando Pirates playing Arsenal.
This time there aren’t any Gunners around to sink the ship, and the club will play Pirates in Durban on Saturday, Chiefs in Cape Town on Tuesday and then the winner of Thursday’s game between the Soweto giants in Johannesburg next Saturday.
Links between United and South Africa go back to 1903, when Cape Town-born Alex Bell signed for the Old Trafford club. United and England legend Bobby Charlton played for Arcadia Shepherds in the whites-only National Football League in the mid-Seventies. More recently, Gary Bailey and Quinton Fortune have turned out for the Red Devils.
Only Ryan Giggs remains of the 1993 tourists, and this year’s squad is denuded of its World Cup stars.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has won a further seven English league titles in the intervening 13 years, but none since 2003 — the year he faced false sexual harassment charges in South Africa.
That’s one link he’ll want broken.