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Man Utd 2-2 Liverpool: Erik ten Hag’s future in balance – as are Liverpool hopes
If Sir Jim Ratcliffe is still pondering a final decision on the future of Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, he will be none the wiser after his visit to Old Trafford to watch another chaotic meeting with Liverpool.
The club’s new billionaire co-owner fought his way through the rain and winds of Storm Kathleen to take his seat, then watched as Liverpool threatened to blow away everything in their path in a remarkable first half.
Liverpool’s 1-0 interval advantage, courtesy of a Luis Diaz goal, came at the end of a first half in which Jurgen Klopp’s side led the shots count by 15 to none. The fact the visitors’ lead was so slender was almost a source of triumph for an outclassed United.
This would have been evidence for the prosecution on any Ten Hag verdict before the case for the defence – not a phrase you can comfortably associate with this porous United side – was produced after the break.
Ratcliffe will have been just as stunned as everyone else inside Old Trafford at how Liverpool contrived to gift United an equaliser after 50 minutes, when Jarell Quansah passed straight to Bruno Fernandes, who lifted a long-range finish over stranded keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
It was then the turn of 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo – watched by another teenage prodigy in darts player Luke Littler and, more significantly, by England assistant manager Steve Holland as well – to produce a moment of magic to put United ahead.
Mainoo’s curling shot beyond the stretching Kelleher in front of a delirious Stretford End revived memories of another big goal by a teenager at the same end of Old Trafford – it is now 15 years to the weekend since Federico Macheda scored a dramatic late winner against Aston Villa that proved critical as United won the title that season.
The England youngster’s brilliance completed an unlikely turn of events. Klopp was reduced to raging, arm-waving fury in his technical area as the Stretford End dusted down an old Rafael Benitez taunt with chants of “Jurgen’s cracking up”.
Not true, of course, but even Klopp will know Liverpool have only themselves to blame for taking only a point, even that secured only through Mohamed Salah’s late penalty amid even more missed chances.
‘Ten Hag must demonstrate he can solve Man Utd’s problems’
Quite what Ratcliffe made of it all would be fascinating to discover after a week that has not exactly lifted Ten Hag’s chances of survival.
What Ten Hag can offer up, in exactly the same way as he could after last month’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool at Old Trafford, is that his United side possess character and fight when they eventually rouse themselves – which is not often enough but certainly what they did here.
United were still wide open but they were at least up for the contest despite their injury problems. Their second-half performance was unrecognisable from their first, although the once-great Casemiro almost aged visibly before the Old Trafford crowd’s eyes as Liverpool rampaged.
The big problem for Ten Hag, studying the wider picture, is that they still look light years away from the Premier League’s top three. Whether he likes it or not, Ratcliffe will have to dig into his deep pockets to get anywhere near his avowed aim of knocking Liverpool and Manchester City off their perches.
What United are doing, and sometimes getting away with, in their current guise is unsustainable.
They faced 28 shots here, their highest total on record in a Premier League game at Old Trafford, and 62 in all in two league meetings with Liverpool this season – and yet have not lost in three games, the FA Cup tie included.
The overall statistics paint an even grimmer picture, with United facing more than 20 shots in eight of their past nine Premier League games, the other being 17 against Fulham. This is an average of 24.6 shots faced in each game, 221 in all.
It suggests there are major problems at United that Ten Hag has so far been incapable of solving. He must demonstrate he can.
If Ratcliffe and his new United hierarchy really are still making up their minds, then nothing on show here will have brought the jury in.
United have an FA Cup semi-final against Championship side Coventry City to come at Wembley, as they seek to end the campaign with a trophy.
But their biggest achievements so far this season have both been against Liverpool – ending their quadruple hopes by knocking them out of the FA Cup last month, and then damaging their title bid as the race hits its final laps.
‘Liverpool can only blame themselves’
As for Liverpool, the big fear for them as they made their way back down the M62 is that their generosity – or perhaps we can call it rank incompetence on this occasion – may come back to haunt them in this tight three-way title race.
Every point dropped is damage and Liverpool can only blame themselves. There are no excuses for not winning when you have as many chances as they created here. No cursing their luck. This game should have been done and dusted by half-time.
Dominik Szoboszlai saw an early effort saved by Andre Onana and could not cash in on two other opportunities. Other openings were allowed to slip by as United slumped on the ropes when the half-time whistle sounded.
It should have been all over but it was not and, from a Liverpool point of view, there were haunting similarities with how they let the recent FA Cup quarter-final slip away.
Liverpool’s finishing was no better in the second half, with even Salah a culprit, shooting over from an angle when he should have scored after Onana pushed out Diaz’s shot. Darwin Nunez side-footed a finish back across the face of goal when he should have scored, while Diaz blazed over when he had to hit the target. The final whistle went immediately after Onana saved from Harvey Elliott.
Klopp’s side would have returned to the top of the table with a win but now, by their own doing, they have handed the title initiative to Arsenal, who won at Brighton, and allowed the always ominous reigning champions Manchester City to close the gap following their win at Crystal Palace.
Liverpool must ensure this game does not end up lingering as a very bad memory.
© BBC Sport
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) said it felt vindicated by the decision of the Electoral Court following its appeal against the objection of the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) to bar its leader, Jacob Zuma, from contesting the coming elections.
On Tuesday, the Electoral Court granted the party and Zuma the right to appeal against the Electoral Commission’s objection against Zuma’s candidacy as the face of the party.
“We are extremely happy and vindicated. This is a historic and landmark ruling which asserts the rule of law. The time has come that the country returns to its rightful hands. We have seen what the IEC has done and this judgment confirms what we have been saying and we feel vindicated by the judgment,” MK Party spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, told The Star.
The court ruled that the decision to uphold an objection to Zuma’s candidacy had been dismissed and this had opened the door for Zuma to freely contest the elections next month.
Last week, the commission had said sections 47 and 106 of the Constitution set out the eligibility criteria and qualifications for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures respectively and thus Zuma was ineligible to contest the elections because of the 15-month sentence imposed on him for contempt of court.
Zuma was given the 15-month term by the Constitutional Court in 2021 for his refusal to return to the state capture commission.
On Monday, advocate Dali Mpofu SC successfully argued that Zuma was being disadvantaged by the IEC in its objection, saying the IEC had no legal standing to object to Zuma who was given a lesser sentence when his sentence was remitted by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“We all know there was no trial, no plea. Zuma was the only person who sat in court without pleading guilty or not. He is the only person in a country of 62 million who has been charged without pleading guilty,” he said.
Mpofu also argued that the IEC had no authority to remove Zuma from the list, adding that the decision lay with the National Assembly.
But advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC, for the IEC, argued that the commission was applying Section 47 of the Constitution which was clear on the selection of candidates to Parliament, and that the remission did not change the Constitutional Court’s original sentence.
In the ruling, the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein granted the application for leave to appeal.
“Having heard the counsel for the parties and having read the papers filed of record, the following order is made: the application for leave to appeal is granted. The appeal succeeds. The decision of the Electoral Commission is upheld, Dr Maroba Matsapola’s objection to the second applicant’s candidacy (Mr Zuma) is set aside and substituted with the following: The objection is hereby dismissed and no order is made as to costs,” the judges found.
Last week, ahead of the appeal, Ndhlela indicated that the party was confident of a favourable outcome.
“We challenge the legality and validity of the IEC’s decision, asserting that it was made without proper jurisdiction, influenced by bias, and based on flawed interpretations of the law.
“We remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice and will spare no effort in defending President Zuma’s rights as the only South African post 1994 to be jailed without a trial,” he said at the time.
Visvin Reddy, President of the African Democratic Change (ADC) party and a member of the MK Party, said “the news brings immense joy as it paves the way for Zuma to resume and complete the impactful work he initiated as the head of state of South Africa”.
“We cannot overlook the significant accomplishments achieved under Zuma’s leadership. It was Zuma who fearlessly pioneered Radical Economic Transformation, aiming to distribute the wealth of the land more equitably and uplift the lives of the Black child. Additionally, Zuma ensured that fuel prices remained accessible, benefiting all South Africans by keeping it at R11 a litre,” Reddy said.
According to political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe, there is concern within the ANC regarding the presence of Zuma on the ballot paper.
Seepe said Zuma is loved by many, is a crowd puller and people who would normally vote for the ANC will now vote for the MK Party.
“The ANC should be concerned about Zuma’s comeback because the people who are going to vote Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party would normally vote for the ANC. So if MK runs with Zuma as the number one candidate, we know that he is a crowd puller than any other political leader except for Julius Malema,” he said.
© The Star
United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa is up in arms after the meeting of the portfolio committee with the Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan was held in camera over the sale of SAA.
The meeting was to discuss allegations of impropriety against Gordhan after several attempts by the committee to call him into the meeting.
The allegations followed a complaint by former Director-General in the department Kgathatso Tlhakudi that there were irregularities in the deal.
But Gordhan had insisted that the SAA deal was above board.
In one meeting Gordhan refused to hand over two crucial documents to the portfolio committee.
When the committee met in September, Gordhan wrote to it saying he would not be able to attend the meeting due to ill-health.
The committee reconvened on Wednesday, but the meeting was held in camera.
Holomisa wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa and asked for action against the minister.
“I refer to a February 22, 2024 memorandum from the chairperson of the committee on public enterprises, Mr Khayalethu E. Magaxa to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan regarding ‘Alleged irregularities regarding the sale of SAA.’
“The content of the February 22 memorandum reveals that Minister Gordhan continues to play delaying tactics in the entire matter of the due diligence of the sale of SAA in that he does not want to/or had neglected to furnish the committee with a shortlist of entities from which the final determination was made,” wrote Holomisa.
“What is however most shocking is that the minister in essence wants to muzzle a parliamentary committee. Why have a meeting with the minister in camera and worse still want to have a parliamentary committee sign a non-disclosure agreement.?”
He said the UDM wants answers on the SAA-Takatso deal and why the airline was sold at a cut-price.
He said there were more questions than answers on the SAA sale and the meeting on Wednesday should have been opened to the public and not held in camera.
© IOL
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AFU secures fourth preservation order worth over R3 million targeting illegal mining kingpins
In a significant move against organized crime, the Pretoria Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has obtained its fourth preservation order, amounting to over R3 million, targeting assets linked to alleged illegal mining kingpins. The order, granted on January 8, 2024, by the Pretoria High Court under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1988, aims to freeze assets associated with key figures involved in illegal gold trading syndicates operating in Khutsong and Carletonville.
The individuals affected by this latest preservation order include Bethuel Ngobeni, Lerato Bathebeng, Poppy Mathongwane, Dumisani Moyo, Nhlanhla Leon Magwaca, Neo Susan Duba, and Thabo Sechele. These assets, comprising properties, vehicles, cash, and other valuables, are alleged proceeds of unlawful activities orchestrated by the syndicate.
The AFU’s success in obtaining this preservation order follows three previous orders secured on July 31, August 7, and August 30, 2023, respectively. Together, these orders encompass assets valued at over R20 million, including 55 vehicles, 10 properties in Khutsong and Carletonville, as well as cash and other valuable assets amounting to R91,000.
The investigation leading to these preservation orders stemmed from efforts by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), resulting in the arrest of six individuals described as illegal mining kingpins, along with their spouses. Notably, the syndicate comprises mainly foreign nationals from Zimbabwe and Mozambique, some of whom fraudulently obtained South African identity documents.
The next phase involves applying for forfeiture orders, which, if granted, will lead to the sale of the seized properties through public auction. Proceeds from these sales will be deposited into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA), furthering efforts to combat organized crime and its financial networks.
The trial of the nine accused individuals, facing charges including money laundering and racketeering, is scheduled to commence on July 24, 2024, at the Pretoria High Court, following its transfer from the Oberholzer Magistrates’ Court.
Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi, the Director of Public Prosecutions, lauded the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies, particularly the DPCI, in tackling organized crime. He emphasized the significance of this preservation order as a testament to the NPA’s ongoing commitment to combatting organized crime at its core.
The AFU’s relentless pursuit of illegal mining syndicates underscores the broader efforts to dismantle criminal networks and uphold the rule of law in South Africa.
The European Union has formally announced it suspects X, previously known as Twitter, of breaching its rules in areas including countering illegal content and disinformation.
Digital commissioner Thierry Breton set out the alleged infringements in a post on the social media platform.
He said X, which is owned by Elon Musk, was also suspected of breaching its obligations on transparency.
X said it was “co-operating with the regulatory process”.
In a statement, the firm said it was “important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law”.
“X is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal,” it added.
These are the first formal proceedings launched under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the tough new rules for big tech firms the EU has introduced.
The DSA places extra obligations on major companies to protect users against extreme content. If they fail to do so they can face enormous fines or be suspended.
“Today, we opened formal proceedings against X based on several suspected infringements of the Digital Services Act,” EU Commission spokesman Johannes Bahrke said.
“The opening of proceedings means that the Commission will now investigate X’s systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements. It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.”
In October the EU said it was investigating X over the possible spread of terrorist and violent content, and hate speech, after Hamas’ attack on Israel.
X said then that it had removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts from the platform.
Explaining the latest steps in its investigation into X on Monday, the EU said its probe would also consider the effectiveness of X’s so-called Community Notes system.
It allows contributors to comment on the accuracy of posts, with the company considering it a bulwark against disinformation.
However, concerns about the nature of the content appearing on X have intensified since it was bought by Elon Musk – in part because he laid off many of its moderators – with the European Commission previously warning it had the biggest disinformation problem of any major platform.
In the US, controversy over extremist material appearing on the site has led to an advertising boycott, a bitter row between Mr Musk and a campaign group, and even questions about whether X could end up going bankrupt.
© BBC News
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