Alex Ferguson apologises for criticising referee

10 October 2009 11:09
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has apologised for criticising the fitness of referee Alan Wiley following United's 2-2 draw with Sunderland earlier this month.[LNB] "I apologise to Mr Wiley for any personal embarrassment that my remarks may have caused and to the FA for going public with my views," Ferguson said in a statement on the Manchester United website (www.manutd.com) on Saturday.[LNB] "In retrospect, I accept that this could be deemed as expressing those views in an inappropriate forum.[LNB] "It was never my intention to bring the focus of intense media attention on Mr Wiley. I intend to contact him personally after I return from a trip overseas during this international break."[LNB] In comments made after the Premier League game on October 3. Ferguson had strongly criticised Wiley's fitness levels.[LNB] Ferguson said in his statement on Saturday that he had never wished to imply that Wiley was a bad referee or that his performance in that game had been poor.[LNB] "My only intention in speaking publicly, was to highlight what I believe to be a serious and important issue in the game, namely that the fitness levels of referees must match the ever increasing demands of the modern game, which I hope will now be properly addressed through the appropriate formal channels," Ferguson said.[LNB] (Writing by Kevin Fylan; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Source: Eurosport