http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011 ... -fa-charge
Sir Alex Ferguson is refusing to speak to Manchester United's own television station after being charged with improper conduct for his outspoken criticisms of the referee Martin Atkinson.
Ferguson has cancelled his weekly media briefing ahead of Sunday's game at Liverpool and the club have confirmed that MUTV will not be allowed any time with the manager after airing the interview that could lead to him having to watch up to five games from the stands.
The United manager had been heavily critical of Atkinson's performance in the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday, blaming a series of refereeing decisions and suggesting that Atkinson should not have been appointed for the match because it demanded "a fair referee". The implication was of Atkinson showing bias towards Chelsea, and after viewing a copy of the video, the FA has decided there is sufficient reason to act.
Ferguson discovered the news several hours before the official announcement and responded by informing his press officers that he was withdrawing himself from media duties. His cancelling of press conferences has become an increasingly regular occurrence over recent years, but the difference this time is that MUTV have been denied access to his thoughts. It is the first time Ferguson has refused to speak to them since 2005, when one of the presenters said he would prefer the team to operate a 4-4-2 system rather than 4-5-1 and the chief executive, David Gill, had to intervene after an incensed Ferguson withdrew all co-operation.
No official reason has been given for the latest exclusion but, within the club, there is a sense that the station should have been more alert to the possibility that Ferguson was in danger of talking himself into trouble rather than running the interview in full a few minutes after it was recorded. For example, the club's official website left out the "fair referee" comment that has led to Ferguson's fifth disciplinary charge in as many years for remarks about referees.
Ferguson has indicated he wants to fight the case but United's legal advisers will meet him on Friday morning to recommend he accepts the charge on the basis that denying any wrongdoing would incur the possibility of further punishment were he to be found guilty. He already has two matches of a four-game touchline ban hanging over him as a suspended sentence for his criticisms of Alan Wiley in 2009 – Ferguson had described him as not physically fit to officiate in the Premier League – and the feeling at United is that he will receive a three-match ban if he admits the charge but possibly four or five if he pleads not guilty. Ferguson must inform the FA of his decision by 4pm on Tuesday and a hearing is likely to take place towards the end of next week.
The charge comes in the same week that Wayne Rooney escaped punishment for elbowing James McCarthy during United's 4-0 win at Wigan Athletic, but the two incidents are being treated separately. Likewise, Ferguson's reputation as a serial offender when it comes to criticising match officials has not come into the equation.
Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers' Association, defended Ferguson, saying he was entitled to be angered by Atkinson missing a foul by David Luiz on Rooney that should have earned the Chelsea defender a second yellow card.
"He [Ferguson] is a man who, since 1986, has been building high-performance teams and when mistakes are made he will get angry, and in the 76th minute that was a big mistake," Bevan said. "If you're going to interview managers after a game when so much is riding on these games, particularly a game of such high profile, then unfortunately you will get emotions going over."
With a strange sense of timing, the FA's announcement about Ferguson was followed 19 minutes later by a statement from Old Trafford that Michael Carrick had agreed a new contract until the end of the 2013-14 season.
