Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has accepted a charge of improper conduct following his comments on the fitness of referee Alan Wiley.
Ferguson criticized Wiley following his team’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Sunderland at Old Trafford on Oct. 3, saying the official was not fit enough to keep up with the pace of the match.
Those comments infuriated many referees who said it was unwarranted and would leave a lasting stain on Wiley’s reputation.
The referees’ union Prospect subsequently called for Ferguson to be given a lengthy touchline ban.
Ferguson later apologized to Wiley, by saying: “I apologize to Mr Wiley for any personal embarrassment my comments may have caused and to the FA for going public with my views. In retrospect I accept that they could be deemed as expressing those views in an inappropriate form. It was never my intention to bring the focus of intense media interest on Mr Wiley.”
Many critics accused Ferguson of undermining the “Respect” campaign of the English Football Association (FA), designed to encourage better behavior toward officials at all levels of the game, and retired referee Jeff Winter said the Scot’s criticisms of Wiley were a “cowardly attack.”
Despite the furore, Ferguson had no qualms about criticizing the performance of referee Andre Marriner after United’s 2-0 loss to arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, questioning whether the official had “enough experience” to handle such a high-profile game.
The 67-year-old Ferguson has requested a personal hearing with the FA and a date has yet to be set.
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