12.01.2010
Ferguson escapes FA action over referee rant
Manchester United's head coach Sir Alex Ferguson, seen here a training session in Doha, will not face disciplinary action over his latest critcisms of a referee, the Football Association (FA) announced Tuesday.
Ferguson was furious with Mark Clattenburg for sending-off Darren Fletcher during English champions United's 1-1 draw away to Birmingham City on Sunday.
Afterwards the Scot suggested Clattenburg had been inconsistent this season but the FA, England's governing body, have decided his remarks did not mean he was alleging bias or questioning the official's integrity.
"No action will be taken in relation to Sir Alex Ferguson," an FA spookesman said Tuesday.
As a result, the FA have not activated the two-match suspended sentence hanging over Ferguson for criticising referee Alan Wiley's fitness earlier this season, for which he was initially punished with a two-match touchline ban.
Scotland midfielder Fletcher was dismissed for two yellow card offences and after the match at St Andrews an irate Ferguson said: "As far as I'm concerned, I've not seen a softer sending-off for a long time. It is ridiculous.
"That referee did the Arsenal-Tottenham game earlier in the season and you needed to hit someone with an axe before he booked anyone in that game."
"There were some wonderful and weird decisions tonight."
Source: © 2010 AFP - Karim Jaafar
|
England / England .jpg)
