United angry as Liverpool's Steven Gerrard escapes FA
probe
Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, left, vies for the ball
with Portsmouth's Michael Brown. Photograph: Tim Hales/AP
Steven Gerrard has escaped
disciplinary action over for the use of his forearm against
Portsmouth's Michael Brown in Liverpool's 4-1 win yesterday. The
decision has incensed Manchester United and led to
allegations that the Football Association has employed double
standards. Had he been found guilty of violent conduct, Gerrard
would have been banned from Liverpool's trip to Old Trafford on
Sunday. The collision with Gerrard knocked Brown to the floor.
United's anger stems mostly from the fact that the defender Rio
Ferdinand was banned for three games for swinging an arm into the
face of Craig Fagan during a 4-0 win against Hull in January. That
punishment was increased by one match after Ferdinand appealed. The
champions will not make official comment on Gerrard's case but
privately they have admitted to being surprised by the verdict and
not understanding why the Liverpool captain has been let off. The
ruling is also likely to go down badly among Liverpool's rivals for
the fourth Champions League place.
The FA says it cannot act because the referee concerned, Stuart
Attwell, has maintained that Gerrard's offence did not merit a
booking or a red card.
In Ferdinand's case, the incident was missed by the referee,
Steve Bennett, who said that he would have shown a red card had he
seen it. Attwell has told the FA that he was satisfied with how he
dealt with the incident, by awarding Portsmouth a free-kick and
speaking to Gerrard.
The United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, feels that his team are
punished more severely than other clubs. At Ferdinand's hearing
United's legal team cited the FA's failure to charge Liverpool's
Javier Mascherano over a similar incident involving the Leeds
striker Jermaine Beckford at Elland Road in September.
Attwell's view that he was in control of the incident is
unlikely to improve his reputation. The youngest Premier League referee by some
distance, at 27, he has become known for mistakes, most notoriously
the award of a "ghost goal" in a match between Watford and Reading
in September 2008.
Gerrard escaped punishment from the FA last week after making a
two-fingered gesture towards the referee Andre Marriner in a 1-0
defeat at Wigan. Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, responded
to Monday's incident by substituting his captain.
