United plan appeals
10 Aug 2006 - 09:09:00
Manchester United have confirmed they intend to appeal against the charges which could see Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes suspended for three Premiership matches.
The Football Association have finally received the referee's report on last Friday's friendly between United and Porto in Amsterdam during which Rooney and Scholes were sent off.
Charges of violent conduct and serious foul play against the pair will see them ruled out of the matches against Charlton, Watford and Tottenham unless they are overturned.
United have until Friday to lodge written appeals, which are likely to be heard next Tuesday.
The FA has plenty of evidence to consider before ruling on the cases, as the report received from their Dutch counterparts is 23 pages long and contains accounts of the incidents that led to the red cards from referee Ruud Bossen, both assistant referees and the fourth official.
Despite this Rooney is likely to have his card downgraded to a yellow, as television replays suggested his dismissal for an alleged elbowing offence was unwarranted.
Scholes can also expect his straight red card to be downgraded to a yellow, but as he had already been booked earlier in the game he would still have to serve a one-match ban.