Fergie charged after ref blast
19 Oct 2009 - 12:25:54
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association following his remarks about referee Alan Wiley's fitness.
Ferguson launched a verbal assault on the official in charge of his side's 2-2 draw with Sunderland earlier in the month before also criticising the standard of refereeing in the Premier League in a wider blast.
He spoke out after an off-colour United salvaged a point against the Black Cats via a stoppage-time own goal from Anton Ferdinand.
Ferguson accused Wiley of not being fit enough to take charge of a top level match, saying: "He was not fit enough for a game of that standard.
"The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. He was not fit. It is an indictment of our game.
"You see referees abroad who are as fit as butcher's dogs. We have some who are fit. He wasn't fit."
Ferguson issued an apology for his comments but has now been given two weeks to respond to an FA charge.
In a rare apology, the veteran Scot claimed: "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.
"In retrospect, I accept that this could be deemed as expressing those views in an inappropriate forum.
"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."