He just can't resist it can he.
Ferguson back on the Attack
The Times - Oliver Kay
Sir Alex Ferguson is on another collision course with the Football Association after being infuriated by the discovery that an Arsenal season ticket-holder was chairman of the disciplinary commission that suspended Patrice Evra for four matches last month.
The Manchester United manager has struggled to contain his anger at the FA’s handling of the Evra affair, which related to a fracas involving a Chelsea groundsman during a post-match warm-down at Stamford Bridge last April, but his outrage grew when he discovered that Nicholas Stewart, QC, who chaired the four-man commission, has a season ticket at the Emirates Stadium.
While the integrity of Stewart, a specialist in sports law, is not in question, the decision to appoint an Arsenal fan to oversee the case has been seized upon by Ferguson as yet more evidence of a perceived anti- United conspiracy within the FA.
It emerged last night that Ferguson was so incensed by the discovery that he made reference to it in his column in the match programme for United’s 3-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday, only to remove his complaint on the recommendation of David Gill, the club’s chief executive.
Gill, a less confrontational figure, shared some of Ferguson’s unhappiness, but was able to persuade the United manager that it was not the time or the place to air such concerns.
Ferguson nonetheless made a more oblique reference to his latest grievance, writing: “I’m still shocked by the four-match ban handed out to Patrice following the incident at Stamford Bridge that saw him at odds with one of their groundsmen. It’s gone now, of course, and the important thing is our full concentration on getting the right result against a team who historically have done well at Old Trafford.”
Evra returned from suspension to play against Chelsea, having missed Barclays Premier League matches against Stoke City and Middlesbrough, an FA Cup tie against Southampton and the Carling Cup semi-final, first leg against Derby County.
United were highly critical of the FA’s handling of the case, both in terms of the severity of the defender’s punishment — Evra was also fined £15,000 — and the lack of action against the Chelsea employee, though they decided not to appeal. The club’s unhappiness grew when the FA published the full details of the commission’s report, including criticism of the testimonies of Mike Phelan, the assistant manager, and Richard Hartis, a goalkeeping coach. Lord Triesman, the FA’s independent chairman, felt compelled to apologise to Gill when they met on December 23.
Triesman tried to dismiss Ferguson’s concerns about an alleged anti-United bias at the FA, but it seems that the Scot is unconvinced. While Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has infuriated Ferguson with a series of complaints about United in recent days, Ferguson appears determined to intensify his crusade against the game’s establishment.
Neither United nor the FA would comment last night, while Stewart could not be contacted. Stewart, who was called to the bar in 1971 and has been a QC since 1987, is described on the website of Ely Place, his chambers, as “a safe pair of hands” and is also an appeal board chairman and a specialist member of the FA’s judicial panel.
He was appointed to chair the Evra case, where he was joined on the commission by Barry Bright, the chairman of the FA’s disciplinary committee, Roy Carter, of the West Riding FA, and David Pleat, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager.
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