Wayne Rooney was 'fortunate' to escape ban for elbow, says Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted Wayne Rooney was “fortunate” to avoid a red card for elbowing Wigan’s James McCarthy last weekend.
Lucky: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted Wayne Rooney was 'fortunate' to escape ban for his elbow on James McCarthy Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Telegraph staff and agencies 9:30PM GMT 01 Mar 2011
The Manchester United striker escaped any retrospective sanctions from the Football Association, despite television replays clearly showing the striker thrusting his elbow into McCarthy’s head.
The FA insisted that, as referee Mark Clattenburg had decided he had dealt with the incident appropriately at the time, it was powerless under Fifa laws to take any further action against the England international.
That enabled Rooney to play in Tuesday night’s game with Chelsea and he made the most of his reprieve, scoring the opening goal at Stamford Bridge.
Ferguson, perhaps unsurprisingly, applauded Clattenburg’s decision not to reverse his original decision but admitted Rooney had been lucky to escape punishment for his “silly” attack.
“The rules are straight and clearly there,” Ferguson said. “Mark Clattenburg dealt with it, he spoke to the player and gave the free-kick to Wigan. That was the end of the story.
“The one person who comes out with great credit is the referee himself as he was obviously under tremendous pressure, probably from the Football Association and from the media, which we expected. It’s over with.
“Wayne is a bit fortunate. It was a clash but nothing serious that hurt the player. Nonetheless, it was a silly thing to do.”
Rooney’s escape prompted a flurry of criticism from United’s rivals, with Wigan chairman Dave Whelan suggested that United were “treated a little bit differently” to other clubs.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has also joined the debate, suggesting that United’s 'big club’ status helped Rooney avoid a suspension. “For me, it was a red card,” Mancini said. “It was his [Rooney’s] fault and I’m surprised at this decision.
“The referee was there, but I think that this happens in every country. It’s normal that the big club usually has different treatment.
“Sometimes the referee can make a mistake, but for me it was a red card, the same as everyone. But maybe the referee saw it in a different way, this can happen sometimes.”
sir alex ferguson, dave whelan, alex ferguson, james mccarthy, wayne rooney, mark clattenburg, telegraph staff, fifa laws, stamford bridge, england international, silly thing, manchester united online, football association, free kick, reprieve, manchester city, replays, striker, elbow, referee
No comments:
Post a Comment