The Football Association (FA) on Monday charged Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney following his foul-mouthed outburst into a television camera during Saturday’s 4-2 win over West Ham at Upton Park.
“The FA has charged Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney for the use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language,” an FA statement read. “This charge relates to an incident during his side’s fixture with West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday April 2, 2011.
As Rooney celebrated with United teammates after completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot — United having been 2-0 down earlier — the England star was caught uttering a series of audible expletives towards the camera.
Rooney’s swearing was beamed around the world by Sky Sports with the game televised in more than 200 countries and the incident prompted an on-air apology from the broadcasters.
While the England player said the emotion of giving his side the lead after they trailed 2-0 at half-time had prompted his outburst, the FA took a different view.
Widespread press reports on Sunday had quoted an FA spokesperson as saying: “We will look at it. We obviously don’t condone foul and abusive language.”
The FA director Sir Trevor Brooking had also said the governing body would have to investigate Rooney’s behavior at Upton Park.
APOLOGY
Rooney apologized for his outburst in a statement released by United on Saturday evening.
“I want to apologise for any offence that may have been caused by my goal celebration, especially any parents or children that were watching. Emotions were running high and on reflection my heat-of-the-moment reaction was inappropriate. It was not aimed at anyone in particular,” he said.
It is not the first time Rooney has been in trouble for ranting into television cameras.
He also upset England fans during last year’s World Cup when he turned to a camera and verbally attacked them for jeering at the end of a 0-0 draw with Algeria in the group stages.
‘SILLY BOY’
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp criticized Rooney for his use of foul language during his celebration.
“Why is he so angry?” Redknapp asked at a news conference in Madrid on Monday ahead of Tottenham’s Champions League match against Real.
“I don’t remember Bobby Charlton doing it when he scored,” he added, referring to the former United and England midfielder, a World Cup winner in 1966. “Why do they have to be so angry with the world these young footballers earning hundreds of thousands pounds a week?”
“I respect him a great deal as a player, but he’s a silly boy and he shouldn’t have done it,” Redknapp said.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set