Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is trying something different – staying quiet.
ESPN.com reports that Sir Fergie has completely removed himself from his media duties, including pregame press conferences, after comments he made about referee Martin Atkinson landed him in hot water with the league.
Ferguson is facing charges and could be suspended for questioning whether Atkinson was "strong" or "fair" enough to ref Manchester United's game against Chelsea on Manchester United's MUTV. Upon learning that Atkinson was set to work that game, Ferguson said he "feared the worst."
All of Ferguson's upcoming appearances on MUTV have been cancelled and they are denied access to the manager in the future.
If Ferguson's appeal falls through, he could be suspended. He will automatically be banned from two matches due to previous infractions, and those are not included in his forthcoming punishment.
Alan Leighton, head of the union handling Ferguson's case claims that had the Manchester United manager submitted a prompt apology, the charges would have been dropped. He added that due to trending criticism of game officials, the league is stepping up to defend referees.
"When the fundamental ability of the referee to do his job is criticised — in terms of physical fitness or integrity — then that line has been crossed," he said. "If managers are going to start questioning the integrity of referees, then they can't be surprised when action is taken against them.''
