Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been under fire in the last fortnight for comments he made about referee Alan Wiley following his side’s 2-2 draw against Sunderland at Old Trafford.
Ferguson questioned Wiley’s fitness, saying, “”The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. He was not fit.”
“You see referees abroad who are as fit as butcher’s dogs. He was taking 30 seconds to book a player. He was needing a rest. It was ridiculous.”
The United manager has since apologized for his remarks on the club’s official website.
“I apologize to Mr. Wiley for any personal embarrassment my remarks may have caused,” he said.
“In retrospect, I accept that this could be deemed as expressing those views in an inappropriate forum. It was never my intention to bring the focus of intense media attention on Mr. Wiley.”
Ferguson added that he intends to contact Wiley personally about the matter.
However, the head of the referees’ union Alan Leighton was not satisfied with the Scot’s apology, calling it “half-hearted”, and he suggested that Ferguson be handed a ban for the original remarks.
The FA has asked Sir Alex to explain his remarks by October 16th, and Leighton is asking for a stiff punishment.
“A punishment should be a Uefa-type coaching ban, which is more than a touchline ban,” he said.
“A Uefa ban involves a ban for a greater period of time during, before and after a game.”
The draw against Sunderland put Manchester United back in 2nd place behind league leaders Chelsea.
Kroenke Increases Arsenal Share
Arsenal director Stan Kroenke has increased his share in the club from 28.7% to 28.9%.
The American entrepreneur spent $1.2 million to increase his stake, and he is now nearing the 29.9% threshold that would trigger a mandatory offer for the remaining shares.
Kroenke is the club’s largest shareholder, with 17,957 shares, and is edging toward a full takeover.
He has been praised by Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazadis as a “model owner”.
Kroenke is the owner of the Denver Nuggets NBA team, the Colorado Avalanche NHL team, and is a part-owner in the St. Louis Rams NFL team.
Seena Vali is a U.S. based writer for World Soccer Reader, having joined the staff in April 2009. He covers the English Premier League and writes WSR’s Manchester United blog “United Watch”.
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