FA charges Sir Alex Ferguson with improper conduct

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association (FA). The charge relates to the United boss' post-match comments about referee Martin Atkinson, who Fergie was critical of following his side's 2-1 defeat by Chelsea FC at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening. Fergie has until 16:00GMT on Tuesday, March 8 to respond to the charge. This will have no bearing for Sunday's tie at Anfield versusLiverpool as the United manager will be able to roam the touchline. 

A club spokesman has refuted the claims that the FA has asked the club's official TV channel, MUTV, for unedited copies of Fergie's post-match interview. The spokesman said through the club's website, "contrary to reports in the press, at no point have the FA contracted the club, or MUTV, to ask for a copy of the manager's post-match interview." 

Sir Alex was furious over a number of decisions at the Bridge. He felt the penalty awarded to Chelsea's Yuri Zhirkov when he fell after a Chris Smalling challenge in the box was "soft." He further fumed in relation to Chelsea defender David Luiz not being sent off for numerous rash challenges "You want a strong referee, anyway, and we didn't get that. I don't know why he's got the game. I must say that, when I saw who was refereeing it, I feared the worst." Our post-match review of the match covers how some of the decisions affected the outcome of the game.