Source: Daily_Mail
Fergie still in the dock: Sir Alex says sorry to ref Wiley, but it won't save him
Sir Alex Ferguson has made an unprecedented apology to referee Alan Wiley for claiming he was 'unfit' - but the Manchester United manager's apparent bid to escape an FA ban for his controversial comments may yet end in failure.
Ferguson interrupted a holiday in New York to apologise to Wiley, whom he branded as not fit enough to referee a Premier League game, following last Saturday's 2-2 draw against Sunderland.
However, Alan Leighton, the head of the union which represents referees, insisted that Ferguson's surprise move had only made things worse and the Football Association should still punish him severely.
Sir Alex said in a statement on United's website: 'I apologise for any personal embarrassment my remarks may have caused and to the FA for going public with my views.'
Ferguson, who promised to speak to Wiley personally when he returns from the United States next week, added: 'I would wish it to be noted that I have always respected Mr Wiley's integrity and that I did not state or imply that he is a bad referee or was in any way biased or that decision-making generally during the game was poor or that he missed any key incident during the game.'
Crucially, however, Ferguson has not withdrawn his allegation that Wiley was not fit enough to referee at the highest level. And the concern for Sir Alex now must be that his apology is seen as half-hearted and a tactic to avoid a potential charge.
Ferguson has until Friday to meet an FA request to explain his comments but he is expected to do so in the next 48 hours. After that, the FA Disciplinary Committee will have to decide whether to charge the United manager, with many inside the game still shocked by Ferguson's attack, broadcast on United's in-house television channel, MUTV.
'We have been put in a difficult position over this,' said an FA source. 'We might be forced to take the matter further.'
The Mail on Sunday understands that while Ferguson's apology will be welcomed by the FA because it removes an alleged stain on Wiley's reputation, it will not alter the disciplinary process.
Leighton, national secretary of Prospect, the professionals' union which represents referees, said: 'If anything, what Sir Alex Ferguson has said makes things worse. The FA should charge him and take serious action against him.
'He's apologised for causing embarrassment to Alan Wiley, but not for calling him an unfit referee. In addition he has extrapolated it to being an issue about referees in general in England being unfit.
'I think he's bringing the game into disrepute. The FA's own disciplinary rules talk about four types of offence in public comments. 'The implication of bias does not apply, but by questioning Alan Wiley's fitness he has questioned the integrity of another participant. The rules also say personally offensive comments should be avoided.
'And to suggest that we've got unfit referees in general is to the detriment of the game as a whole because it damages the confidence of fans, players and everyone else involved in the game.' Earlier in the week, Leighton said a fine or a touchline ban would be 'water off a duck's back' for Ferguson and suggested a full-blown suspension from his job might be appropriate.
Ferguson has a history littered with attacks on referees but the strength of his comments towards Wiley still suprised many pundits.
The champions' manager said at the time: 'It's an indictment on our game that this referee was not fit enough. It took him at least 30 seconds every time he booked a player and I think that is because he wanted to take a rest.
'You see referees abroad who are as fit as a butcher's dog. The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. He was not fit. It was ridiculous.'
Statistics have since shown that Wiley covered more ground than most of the United players, and there have been calls for Ferguson to be hit with a ban that would exclude him from the dressing-room as well as the dug-out.
That was the punishment given by UEFA to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho after he accused referee Anders Fisk of talking privately with Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard at half-time of a Champions League game.
Ferguson continued to claim yesterday that his comments were based on a real concern over referees' fitness.
He said: '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.'
The refereeing world is unlikely to accept Ferguson's apology. Former referee Jeff Winter - the target of verbal abuse from Ferguson in 2003, for which the United manager was banned for two games and fined £10,000 - claimed Sir Alex had been guilty of bullying Wiley.
Winter said: 'Ferguson has stooped to a new low.'
