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Ferguson surprised about Rooney's ban
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said he was told by England's Football Association that Wayne Rooney wouldn't be banned for a preseason red card.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 10:36 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Manchester, England:
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said he was told by England's Football Association that striker Wayne Rooney wouldn't be banned for a preseason red card. Rooney and midfielder Paul Scholes were this week suspended for three matches after both were sent off in a preseason tournament in the Netherlands. The FA agreed with the decisions and the pair will start their bans after United's season opener against Fulham on Sunday. "I am not so much disappointed as surprised," Ferguson said on Friday. "The FA told us nothing was going to happen to Wayne and they were actually briefing people the same thing. I do not know what has happened in between them telling us that and reaching the decision." Three years ago, the FA decided to not carry over a three-match ban into the English league when Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Neil Mellor were sent off in the same preseason tournament. Ferguson blamed referee Ruud Bossen for reporting the red cards to the Dutch soccer association and the FA for following it up. "In these situations it is down to the referee. You hope common sense is going to prevail," Ferguson said. "Instead he has reported it, then it has gone through the official channels and the FA have decided to take it up. "We have the players to cover and there is nothing we can do about it now but one thing is for sure, we will not be playing in the Amsterdam tournament again. You can bet your life on that." (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
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