Sir Alex Ferguson handed five-match ban for Martin Atkinson comments
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been banned for five matches and fined 30,000 pounds for his comments against referee Martin Atkinson.
The United boss has been charged for improper conduct by the Football Association for questioning Atkinson’s impartiality after his side’s 2-1 defeat to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 in February 2011.
Sir Alex Ferguson had criticised the match official for making a number of questionable decisions in that match. The Scot was particularly furious with the referee’s refusal to send off Chelsea’s http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Luiz-c10542 for a second bookable offence, as well as the alleged
‘soft’ penalty decision that went against his side.
Sir Alex claimed that the referee’s decisions ultimately caused United to lose that match, and he indirectly accused Atkinson of being biased towards Chelsea.
Speaking after the match, the Red Devils manager had said, “You want a fair referee, or a strong referee anyway - and we didn't get that. I must say, when I saw who the referee was I feared it. I feared the worst.”
The FA has not taken too kindly to Sir Alex’s accusations. The association has slapped the United boss with a five-match ban, along with a fine of 30,000 pounds. If the punishment stands, Ferguson will spend the entire month of April 2011 in the stands.
Not surprisingly, Sir Alex has claimed that he will appeal against the verdict.
He said, “I will be defending myself strongly when my FA appeal hearing comes up. In fact, I am looking forward to the challenge because, to my mind, I have not said anything out of place, however much the media urge the FA to take action. I won't be on
the back foot when I put my case to the FA, though.”
The ban could not have come at a worse time for Manchester United. As the Red Devils gear up for the final stages of the ongoing 2010-11 season, every match will have a huge impact on the destination of the Premier League crown. Let’s see how the story unfolds
in the upcoming days.
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