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Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed the referee whose post-match report led to Wayne Rooney's ban for swearing into a TV camera was "put under pressure".

Fellow officials reportedly feel Lee Mason was forced into writing a report that enabled the Football Association to charge Manchester United's Rooney.

United boss Ferguson said: "Mason has now put himself in the spotlight.

"If he doesn't send a player off for swearing the question will be, has he got double standards?"

The Scot continued: "It is a very difficult position the lad is in. I feel for him. I really do. I don't know where his career is going to go now. I think he was put under pressure."

Rooney and United believe the striker's two-match suspension is "excessive".

Having missed the incident during last Saturday's dramatic 4-2 win at West Ham, and taken no action at the time, Mason later conceded that he would have sent off the England international had he been aware of what happened.

That admission came just before the FA decided to impose the ban which means that Rooney misses Saturday's Premier League match at home to Fulham and next weekend's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

"It's hard to imagine a referee would send a player off for scoring a hat-trick," Ferguson added.

Ferguson questioned whether Rooney - who confessed that he was "gutted" after losing his appeal against the ban on Thursday - had been fairly treated by the FA.

"I don't know if you can use that word 'fair' any longer," the 69-year-old Red Devils manager said.

"We put an appeal in and the lad wrote his apologies for swearing. But I don't think we expected to get that result to be honest with you.

"We're disappointed but we'll have to get on with it and we'll be united with it... we've got a good squad and players have been showing fantastic determination.

"We're going to be hard to beat, that's for sure."

Former United captain Gary Neville has accused the FA of "creating" the rule that has seen Rooney banned.

"It [swearing] happens every single match, 20 times. I can't for the life of me understand why this time makes any difference," Neville, who retired last month, told BBC Radio Manchester.

"The FA are very reactive and very inconsistent with their reactions.

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Rooney ban disappoints Roberto Mancini
"There is no rule in place which says swearing into a camera brings you a two match ban, they've created one this week. Now they're going to have to make sure that everyone caught swearing on camera is banned for two matches.

"Go down to your park pitch on a Sunday morning and there'll be swearing.

"You can't say it's right or it's wrong, it's just football, that's what sport is. You see the same thing when a golfer makes a putt or a cricketer takes a catch. It's not a nasty thing, it's not malicious, no crime's been committed here."

United will extend their lead at the top to 10 points if they beat Fulham before second-place Arsenal, who dropped points last weekend in a 0-0 draw with Blackburn, travel to Blackpool on Sunday.

[kipeye]

What a load of whinging bollocks. I thought Sir Fergie had stopped thinking he and his players were above the judgement of others. Old habits die hard.
It is not difficult to see where their argument falls down-why can they not say -harsh but that's what happens when you step out of line.
I think it is more unfair when a player gets sent off when he over-celebrates-but the rule is there for a reason. Players swear all the time-and I do wonder why refs put up with it. But that is different from putting your face up to the camera and sounding off.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

'I don't know where his career is going to go now'

Pipe down ferguson you over dramatic, turps nudging. control freak.

[KevinGage]

The whole world has it in for them. Even Rooney felt compelled to issue a statement, he was 'gutted' it was unfair as he's not the only player to swear and all the rest it.

Aye, but you're probably one of the few stupid enough to swear directly at the camera. Twice.

Fergiescum is just doing what he's always done, softening up the ref so that he might feel compelled to rule in their favour next time.

[Nev]

Rooney is reaping the shit he has sown for the last decade.

Spitefull to the club he proports to support and the man that gave him his opportunity, vicious to almost every official who has had the misfortune to be involved in one of his games, holding England fans in contempt, and treating the misguided fans of the club he now plays for, for idiots, who then fell for the bullshit hook, line and sinker.

And the media still call him world class, despite his constant failure in the World Cup.

Not for me Beaky.

[Fasth56]

How can you blame players like Rooney when the real problem and the one who instigates it is SAF, sort him out and the problem sorts itself out. Shadow of the leader and all that!

[nuninho]

Shadow of the leader and all that!

Red Nev being the example. 

Is the fact that the FA are finally starting to impose punishments a sign that the empire is crumbling?

[Pete3206]

Everybody swears and you can see players swearing on the TV all the time. But, there's a difference between swearing in frustration and staring down a camera as if you're a lager lout squaring up to somebody in bar or street. It was a shameful exhibition of petulance by Rooney and he's rightly been punished by a ban.

As for Ferguson, he's only doing what he's always done. Deflected the attention away from his players and onto others. It's a tactic that has served him well over many years.

[Michel Sibble]

Must admit I didn't know what the incident was until Youtube came to the rescue, and man, what a cave-dwelling moron.

You can understand being passionate and fired-up after scoring, but that really was brainless. Nothing to do with SAF, it's just being a low-class individual. His reponse to his banning underlined that.

On another level, him, Stevie-Me and anyone else who runs up to the camera after doing what they're paid to do should be banned automatically for five games, just for being annoying pricks. Fucking hate it. Be a TV presenter if you want that sort of attention.

[darren woolley]

I must say Rooney his a gob shite and SAF he just thinks his players can do no wrong.

[stevenavfc]

What a whinging pair they are and to ignorant to spot the difference between being caught off guard or intentionally screaming potty mouth into camera

[Somniloquism]

He does have a point with the ref being pressurised into reviewing the situation and said if he had noticed it at the time he would have sent him off. That is definitely a lie. Rooney normally does it to their faces and they don't bat an eyelid as they are normally afraid to upset Fergie and miss out on reffing the big matches.

I reckon this is fallout from the elbowing incident and the shoeing the FA got over that by the public, press and FIFA/UEFA.

[JUAN PABLO]

Fook them both. Pair of c***s

[The Left Side]

Fook them both. Pair of c***s

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