The Guardian reports that Manchester United coaches Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz could face sanctions from the Football Association following comments the pair made about referee Martin Atkinson following United’s 1-0 FA Cup defeat by Portsmouth. Ferguson accused Atkinson of favoritism before launching a scathing tirade against Keith Hackett, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, which appoints referees for games. Queiroz, Ferguson’s assistant, echoed his boss’s comments, labeling Atkinson a “robber” who deserved a red card for his performance.
In fact, just about all their anger stemmed from Atkinson’s decision not to award a penalty to United in the first half after Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin barged down Cristiano Ronaldo in the penalty area. “I just cannot explain that decision,” said Ferguson. “Managers get sacked because of things like that and he [Atkinson] is going to referee next week? It’s ridiculous. I don’t blame Portsmouth … I think Keith Hackett’s got a lot to answer for in this country. I don’t think he’s doing his job properly. He’s got his favorites, as everyone knows.” Added Queiroz: “The referee is a disgrace … That is my opinion of this robber. We did our job, Portsmouth did their job but the referee didn’t.” The pair now has until March 19 to respond to the FA and could be fined if found guilty of questioning the impartiality of the officials.