Following recent comments he made about referee Howard Webb, Sir Alex Ferguson, was warned by the Football Association as to his future conduct. The FA had charged Ferguson with improper conduct after he discussed Webb two days prior to the United’s victory over Chelsea on May 8th. He said they were getting the best referee and there was no doubt about it, but getting a bad decision is our fear, in his pre-match news conference.
The FA sent all managers a letter in October advising that any pre-match comments would be interpreted as attempting to influence an official, whether negative or positive, and be in contravention of Rule E3. Last Friday the FA charged the United manager and now have decided as the governing body, that a warning is the measure to be taken as this time.
This rule was enacted in the beginning of the 2009/10 season and formally reiterated on October 21, 2010 to all clubs read a statement from the Regulatory Commission. This is the first time this matter reached the commission and is a clear breach, but they felt it was a minor breach but nevertheless it should be taken as a sign to all managers for the future that this type breach will result in an FA charge.