The manager of the Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson has affirmed the charge of improper conduct following the remarks that he made against the referee Alan Wiley. Ferguson had made comments about his fitness after their match against the Sunderland which ended in a 2-2 draw. The Manchester United manager though apologized later to Wiley and expressed the desire for a personal hearing with the Football Association.

Ferguson faces the possibility of a heavy fine or a probable ban from the Football Association. Following the match against Sunderland, Ferguson had expressed his views saying that the referees’ fitness did not quite match the pace of the game. He later apologized for his comments and felt sorry for any personal embarrassment that the comment may have caused to Wiley. He reiterated that he wanted to highlight a grave and important issue through his comments, which has become a part of the game. Ferguson has had a history of inappropriate conduct and has faced charges for incidents which involve referees.

The head of officials’ union Prospect, Alan Leighton felt that Ferguson’s apology was half hearted and thought that the comment made against Wiley was an attack on his professionalism which was totally unwarranted. He also admitted that it was very important not to have let this comment go unchecked as this would have sent the wrong message to the manager of the other clubs. It would have given them the wrong impression that even they could make such comments which would have brought the game into disrepute.