Fergie condemns media treatment of Rooney

Alex Ferguson has attacked sections of the media he claims would be delighted if Wayne Rooney was banned by UEFA.

Europe’s governing body will decide on Monday whether Rooney has a case to answer over his alleged stamp on Aalborg midfielder Kasper Risgard during the 2-2 draw.

Risgard claimed Rooney’s actions, which left marks on his chest, were deliberate and prompted a post-match apology from the England frontman.

Stand-in Aalborg boss Allan Kuhn also felt Rooney had overstepped the mark and UEFA confirmed this morning they will assess the incident, which was missed by referee Laurent Duhamel, early next week before deciding whether to charge the 23-year-old.

Should UEFA concur with Risgard’s view, Rooney would almost certainly be banned for the beginning of the Champions League knock-out rounds in February.

It is not a prospect Ferguson finds appealing, particularly as he believes the storm is being whipped up by the media.

Ahead of tomorrow’s encounter with Tottenham, which Rooney will miss after reaching five bookings for the season, the Scot first refused to offer any opinion on the incident before rounding on his inquisitors as they tried to argue the subject was a legitimate matter for intense debate.

“You (the media) play your part,” he growled.

“You do not do us any favours. You cannot wait to speak to UEFA.”

When Ferguson was then asked whether he felt some journalists hoped Rooney would get banned, his terse reply came quickly.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. I would not be surprised,” he repeated.

Ferguson will be in Japan, along with Rooney, when he discovers what UEFA plan to do.

However, before then, and maybe afterwards as well, he has no intention of fuelling the debate any further.

“That is it. Over,” said Ferguson. “I am not discussing Wayne Rooney.”

Ferguson has reacted similarly once before, when he blamed the media for Rooney getting a three-match ban for a clash with Tal Ben-Haim during a top-flight match against Bolton Wanderers in December 2004.