FA delay release of Rooney ban decision

THE FA will confirm whether Wayne Rooney will be free to face Manchester City in this month’s FA Cup semi-final at 10am this morning.

Rooney is challenging his two-match ban for using offensive, insulting and/or abusive language at West Ham on Saturday, believing it to be too excessive for the crime he committed.

As it presently stands, the Manchester United forward will miss Saturday’s Premier League encounter with Fulham and that eagerly-anticipated clash with City at Wembley on April 16.

A conclusion has been reached and relayed to the club.

However, the FA were sympathetic about the timing of any public release, which would have come just a couple of hours before United tackled Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final last night.

And, after consultation between both parties, it was agreed the official media announcement would be left until this morning, by which time United, and Rooney, will be back in Manchester.

Rooney, whom it has been revealed did not have his lucrative sponsorship contract with Coca-Cola renewed last year, is risking his ban being increased. However, United are convinced the suspension should be cut by a three-man disciplinary panel.