Sir Alex Ferguson's two-match
touchline ban for criticising the referee Alan Wiley may not yet be
the end of the matter with the secretary of the referees union raising the possibility
of legal action against the Manchester United manager.
Alan Leighton, the national secretary for referees' union
Prospect, said there was a possibility it could still pursue legal
action after Ferguson said the official "just wasn't fit enough" to
take charge of United's 2-2 draw with Sunderland last month.
"One of the things we are saying is, is there a case these
comments are defamatory?" he said. "I intend to talk to Alan Wiley
to see if he wants to sue on the issue.
"We need to take a few steps back and see what has happened here
and I would like to see more about the judgment. We never wanted to
get lawyers involved but if referees don't feel they are being
protected by the regulatory bodies and someone says something
defamatory sooner or later someone is going to take action over
it.
"We are going to talk to the relevant authorities to see what it
means for the future. I'll also talk to our members. I think there
will be a concern this isn't an appropriate way to send a message
that these comments were wholly unacceptable."
Ferguson's
ban means he will miss matches at
home to Everton and away at Portsmouth. His punishment
also includes a further two-match ban, suspended until the end of
the 2010-11 season, and a £20,000 fine.