Sir Alex Ferguson has been banned from the touchline for Manchester United's next five matches and will have to watch the FA Cup semi-final from the stands after being found guilty of improper conduct at a Football Association hearing.
Ferguson has also been fined £30,000 after the FA decided to take a hardline stance over his decision to fight the charge rather than accept he had gone too far in his criticisms of the referee Martin Atkinson after the defeat at Chelsea earlier this month.
For that offence, Ferguson was banned from the touchline for United's next three games, starting with Bolton Wanderers' visit to Old Trafford on Saturday, plus a trip to West Ham and a home match against Fulham. However, Ferguson already had a suspended two-match touchline ban hanging over him from a previous charge, when he had accused Alan Wiley of being physically unfit to referee in the Premier League.
That has now been invoked, meaning Ferguson will also be banned from United's dugout in the all-Manchester semi-final at Wembley and a home game against Everton.
The case against Ferguson was that he alleged bias on Atkinson's part by saying that he should not have been appointed for the Chelsea game because the occasion demanded "a fair referee." Ferguson, who had been incensed by Atkinson's officiating of a 2-1 defeat for the Premier League leaders, had decided to fight the charge against the recommendation of United's legal advisers.
Ferguson has 48 hours to appeal.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/16/sir-alex-ferguson-ban-fa
Ferguson has also been fined £30,000 after the FA decided to take a hardline stance over his decision to fight the charge rather than accept he had gone too far in his criticisms of the referee Martin Atkinson after the defeat at Chelsea earlier this month.
For that offence, Ferguson was banned from the touchline for United's next three games, starting with Bolton Wanderers' visit to Old Trafford on Saturday, plus a trip to West Ham and a home match against Fulham. However, Ferguson already had a suspended two-match touchline ban hanging over him from a previous charge, when he had accused Alan Wiley of being physically unfit to referee in the Premier League.
That has now been invoked, meaning Ferguson will also be banned from United's dugout in the all-Manchester semi-final at Wembley and a home game against Everton.
The case against Ferguson was that he alleged bias on Atkinson's part by saying that he should not have been appointed for the Chelsea game because the occasion demanded "a fair referee." Ferguson, who had been incensed by Atkinson's officiating of a 2-1 defeat for the Premier League leaders, had decided to fight the charge against the recommendation of United's legal advisers.
Ferguson has 48 hours to appeal.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/16/sir-alex-ferguson-ban-fa
