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FA charges Sir Alex Ferguson with improper conduct

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Getty Images

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.