FA charge Ferguson

THE new season is less than a fortnight old and already Alex Ferguson and the FA are at loggerheads.

Within hours of launching his latest attack on the England management team, Ferguson was hit with an expected FA charge about into his conduct during the Barclaycard Premiership win at Newcastle.

After the disciplinary problems encountered by Arsenal in recent months, it was inevitable that Ferguson would be called to task for his televised four-letter tirade at fourth official Jeff Winter, which came after referee Uriah Rennie had already ordered the Scot from the touchline.

Ferguson’s disgust at Rennie’s failure to award a free-kick and send off Newcastle defender Andy O’Brien, who clearly chopped Ryan Giggs down when he was clear on goal, was obvious.

But it is the manner in which he continued the protest that seems certain to attract punishment.

The FA can hit Ferguson with a fine or a ban, or both, as was the case with Sheffield United’s Neil Warnock on Wednesday. But although with United not due to play at Old Trafford again until the flashpoint visit of Arsenal on September 21, they have plenty of time to act.

Ferguson has been given 14 days to respond, although by then he will almost certainly have angered FA officials even further more by pulling Paul Scholes out of the England squad for the Euro 2004 double-header with Macedonia and Liechtenstein.