Thursday, March 3, 2011

Ferguson charged by FA after criticizing referee

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was charged with improper conduct by The Football Association on Thursday following his harsh criticism of a referee following a 2-1 loss at Chelsea.

Ferguson was furious that Martin Atkinson failed to eject David Luiz when the Chelsea defender fouled Wayne Rooney. Luiz already had received a yellow card during Tuesday's game.

Shortly afterward, Atkinson awarded a penalty kick when United defender Chris Smalling fouled Yuri Zhirkov. Frank Lampard then converted the penalty kick to put Chelsea ahead.

"You want a fair referee, or a strong referee anyway — and we didn't get that," Ferguson said on United's in-house TV channel. "I must say, when I saw who the referee was I feared it. I feared the worst."

Ferguson has until Tuesday to respond to a charge of "improper conduct relating to media comments."

If Ferguson is found guilty, it would trigger an additional two-match ban. Half of a four-match penalty for questioning referee Alan Wiley's fitness last season was suspended until the end of this season

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