Ferguson fears realised with Rooney charge

ALEX FERGUSON’S worst fears have been realised as the ‘witch-hunt’ against Wayne Rooney for his attack on Tal Ben Haim left the teenager striker facing a violent conduct charge and the likelihood of a three-match ban.

Ferguson is furious at the attention Rooney’s ill-advised decision to shove Haim in the face during Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Bolton on Sunday has received.

The Old Trafford boss claims the 19-year-old has only been singled out because he is the current golden boy of the English game and plays for the highest-profile club in the land, and that has been allowed to obscure Haim’s attempt to get Rooney sent off with his theatrical reaction to the striker’s minor attack.

But, having read the report of referee Dermot Gallagher, who failed to spot the incident and arrived on the scene only after Haim had collapsed to the ground holding his face, the FA have decided they had no choice other than to step over what appears to be a clear transgression of the rules.

It is the first major confrontation between United and the game’s governing body since Brian Barwick replaced Mark Palios as the FA’s chief executive and will do little to dispel the widely-held belief among Red Devils fans that the new man has an anti-Old Trafford agenda.

The announcement also leaves Rooney with 24 hours to decide whether he will contest a charge that threatens to rule him out of the crucial New Year’s Day trip to Middlesbrough, as well as the home encounter with Tottenham on January 4 and the following weekend’s FA Cup tie with Exeter.

Ferguson’s emotional reaction to the merest possibility of a charge being raised after initially claiming ‘there was nothing in the incident’ suggests a not guilty plea is inevitable.

“Because it is Wayne Rooney and because it is Manchester United, the emphasis is taken off the Bolton player completely,” claimed the United boss.

“That is sad because it is obvious to everybody what he did.

“He laid down there for about two minutes rolling around, which is absolutely disgraceful as far as I am concerned and should be more of a concern for football in general than talking about Wayne Rooney.”

However, given the FA’s strict interpretation of attacks to the head, a more sensible course of action may be to accept the punishment and move on, as they did in the case of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s attack on Arsenal’s Ashley Cole in October.

Van Nistelrooy has since succumbed to an Achilles injury that threatens to rule him out of action until the middle of February and with Louis Saha also sidelined, it is little wonder the prospect of losing Rooney has alarmed Ferguson to such an extent.

At least the United boss knows he can push in-form duo Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes forward behind Alan Smith, who has been utilised in a lone striker’s role in van Nistelrooy’s absence.

And, while David Bellion’s ability to operate at the highest level is still in doubt, the young Frenchman has scored five goals already this term.

Of less consolation to Ferguson - but of more significance to the game as a whole - is that the FA have also charged Haim with improper conduct for his dive.

Even Bolton boss Sam Allardyce admitted Haim had ‘gone too far’ by clutching his face after what had only been minimal conduct and the apparent desire of the FA to eradicate a growing culture of diving within the English game is likely to see the Israeli punished, either through a one-match suspension or a fine.