Sir Alex has been on the war path lately. He has not been holding his tongue about his true feelings towards referees lately. And maybe the FA should step in, for once. (Courtesy Wikicommons)
By Kevin Koczwara
Am I the only one confused to as how Sir Alex Ferguson can get away with criticizing referees time and again while other managers in England get suspended for their comments? Sir Alex is going to be penalized for his comments about referee Alan Wiley. At times Sir Alex sounds like a high school student criticizing a referee from the stands during his school’s football game.
The FA (England’s ruling body on all thing football and its rules) clearly states:
“Post-match comments in relation to Match Officials and incidents are still permitted provided they are not personal in their nature, imply bias or attack the integrity of the Officials in charge of the match, or in any other respect bring the game into disrepute.”
Ferguson’s comments seem to fit into this domain. He is brash and at times too critical of the officiating in matches. I wish he would accept that Manchester United will lose games, and when they do, it isn’t always a referee’s fault.
And Ferguson has stepped over the line yet again–even as he is awaiting a ban– after the Liverpool match this past weekend. He has commented yet again on a referee’s missed or controversial calls, and this time shouldn’t expect a ban because the FA will probably lump the two into one ban, and Sir Alex will get off easier than he would if the FA would take the two comments as two separate incidents. Or the FA will ignore the comments.
The FA ignores Sir Alex because football in England isn’t the same if Sir Alex isn’t roaming the sidelines, he is a star, a nemesis and an icon when he is around a game. And the FA doesn’t want to risk not having him there for the publicity.
A Ref Chief being unhappy with Ferguson still hasn’t stopped him or made the FA step up and make the tough decision they need to each time Ferguson decides to speak out of line.
But should he be getting off scott-free after his comments? Other managers must bite their tongue, but Sir Alex is exempt, that seems to be the rule. This type of thing leads me to believe that Sir Alex has a greater influence on the game than he should, as just another manager.
I am not saying that I like the rule, I just think everyone should have to abide by the same standards. I think post-match comments are great and no one should have to regulate them. But a rule is a rule, yet again, and everyone needs to be treated the same, no matter their stature.
Real Struggle in Copa del Rey 4th Round Tie
Alcorcon put four goals in the back of the net to pound the Spanish giants, Real Madrid, in a 4-0 victory. The little club that could, Alcorcon, beat up on the superstar laden Real –noticeably minus Iker Casillas, Ronaldo and Kaka–in the opening match of their 4th round tie. This was an unprecedented scoreline and a shocker. This is also proof that Real aren’t as deep as they thought they were. Their team lacks that killer midfielder without Kaka and Ronaldo. They lack the two former World Player of the Year winner killer instinct on the attack. Their is no replacing them, and they aren’t strong enough in the back line to hold off the smallest of opponents.
Jerzy Dudek had a rare start in goal for Real Madrd against Alcorcon. The keeper let in 4 goals as Madrd lost in the first leg 4-0. (Courtesy lembagg flcikr)
This was suppose to be a walk in the park, and Karim Benzema and Raul were suppose to lead the charge upfront, but it didn’t happen. This is big news coming out of La Liga because Real have looked so dangerous, and put up amazing number, but still aren’t impressing anyone yet with their play. They are still sloppy and slow to watch and have a long way to go before they can be considered true contenders in Europe and in La Liga to challenge Barcelona.
Aquilani to Play in Carling Cup
Tomorrow is a big day for Liverpool supporters as it has been announced that new arrival Alberto Aquilani could play in the Carling Cup match against Arsenal today. This would be huge because Liverpool spent 20 million pounds on the Italian midfielder to help replace the departure of Xabi Alonso.
Aquilani has been sidelined since last Spring with a few injuries, the latest was ankle surgery over the summer.
If it is true look for Aquilani to get up to game speed because it has been sometime since his last first team match.
Also the game is airing live on ESPN360.com so check it out. Should be a great mid-week match.
Kevin Koczwara can be reached at kkoczwar@gmail.com. Follow The Soccer Guys on Twitter for all your updats @TheSoccerGuys.
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