Ferguson undecided on touchline ban appeal
The Old Trafford boss was given the ban and fined £10,000 by the Football Association after being found guilty of two charges, one of improper conduct and one of insulting or abusing match officials.
The Scot had denied the charges and provided several witnesses to give evidence on his behalf at a lengthy hearing with an FA disciplinary panel at a central Manchester hotel yesterday. United non-executive director Maurice Watkins said afterwards Ferguson was “a little disappointed” with the outcome.
The charges related to an incident in United’s 2-1 victory at Newcastle on August 23 when Ferguson was sent to the stands after a touchline tirade at fourth official Jeff Winter.
Ferguson was furious that referee Uriah Rennie failed to penalise Andy O’Brien after the Newcastle defender’s challenge on Ryan Giggs when he was clear on goal. He leapt from his seat in the dug-out and angrily booted a ball before remonstrating with Winter.
Watkins said: “It is fair to say that Sir Alex is a little disappointed with the outcome.
“We are going to reflect on it overnight and decide what we are going to do. It could end here and will only continue if there is an appeal.”
If Ferguson decides not to appeal, the ban will start immediately and be in force for the match against Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The United boss has 14 days to lodge an appeal or to inform the FA that he does not intend to do so.
Meanwhile, Mikael Silvestre said the pressure is on Manchester United to produce the goods against Rangers in their Champions League double-header. The first match between the English and Scottish champions takes place at Ibrox tomorrow, before the pair face each other at Old Trafford two weeks later.
Rangers lead the group following United’s defeat in Stuttgart earlier this month and Silvestre conceded the Reds cannot afford to lose to the Glasgow club in either fixture.
The French defender said: “The game against Rangers is an even bigger game now after we lost to Stuttgart. They have become the two key games and the fact we play both in a short space of time makes them special.
“We need to take four points at least from the two matches and perhaps after that our position in the group will be a lot safer. We made a mistake in Stuttgart and probably it’s better to do that now rather than later. It was a good reminder for us.”
The matches will see Alex Ferguson pit his wits against the club he used to play for and against their manager Alex McLeish who was Ferguson’s centre-back at Aberdeen.
Silvestre said the occasion was clearly a special one for the manager. “The manager knows the Rangers ground better than anyone. Talking with him every day, he is really up for it. The match is also important because of Scotland v England.
“Tackles will be flying in, it will be like a cup final.”
Meanwhile, Fabien Barthez has spoken of his delight at the prospect of moving to Marseille and claimed there was no difference in his mind between playing for the French club or Manchester United.
The France international keeper has not played a competitive game for United since April and will move to Marseille on loan, if he gets FIFA clearance to do so outside the transfer window.
Barthez said: “From the moment I learned Manchester and Marseille were talking, I was in quite a rush to come here to Marseille. I am delighted but there are still details to sort out between the clubs and myself.
“Manchester United are second in the Championship and doing well in the Champions League. OM are in exactly the same situation. For me, there is no difference between the two.”
Barthez was a member of the Marseille squad which won the European Cup in 1993 and, if his move goes through, will challenge Croatian keeper Vedran Runje for the number one spot.
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