“I looked at the international fixtures for the season and originally, back in February, 18 November was down as an international date,” Sir Alex explained.
“My son went for that date for his wedding, only for the fixtures to be changed. We found out that, instead of having a free weekend, we are playing Manchester City – it couldn’t have been any worse for me.
“The wedding is in Cape Town so there’s nothing I can do. The only consolation is that, with it being a morning kick-off, I will be able to watch the game in South Africa on television.”