Rooney escapes FA punishment

zocoss SG

Take that: Rooney appears to elbow McCarthy off the ball in the ninth minute of the Premier League clash

Next 4 matches include:

visit to Chelsea & Liverpool... Home to Arsenal & Bolton...

Referee Mark Clattenburg will be quizzed by the FA on Monday over the incident that has left Wayne Rooney in danger of missing the trip to Chelsea on Tuesday with a three-match ban.

The Manchester United striker has been roundly condemned for raising his elbow at James McCarthy during Saturday’s -0 win at Wigan, an act that conceded a free-kick but did not result in a card.

Normally a player cannot be punished retrospectively if the match official claims to have seen the incident at the time.

However, if Clattenburg admits in his report to the FA that he didn’t see the elbow being swung then Rooney could be charged with violent conduct.

Who, me? Rooney protests his innocence to referee Mark Clattenburg

That offence carries a three-game ban, but if Rooney disputes the charge he could delay the start of the suspension until later in the week, meaning the first game he would miss would be the match at Liverpool next Sunday.

Whatever the case, United face losing their striker if Clattenburg decides to admit to what appears to have been a gross error of judgment at the DW Stadium.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claimed on Saturday that there was nothing in the incident. He said: ‘Because it is Wayne Rooney the press will raise a campaign to get him hung by Tuesday or electrocuted or something like that.’

Trial by TV: Mike Williamson (right) was charged after appearing to headbutt Johan Elmander

Wigan manager RobertoMartinez said: ‘It was clearly an elbow and Rooney was very lucky. It was a red card.

‘If it had been one of my players it would have been different.’

iceFatboy SG

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Why-couldn-t-the-FA-punish-Manchester-United-striker-Wayne-Rooney-for-his-elbow-on-Wigan-s-James-McCarthy-Find-out-in-our-Q-A-guide-article708983.html.

Interesting -> who's the blame???

Rock^Star SG

This rooney is quite a rogue really. Cheated on pregnant wife, bad temper, violent conduct....etc.

tripsky SG

This rooney is quite a rogue really. Cheated on pregnant wife, bad temper, violent conduct....etc.

well at least he hav not shot someone.

Rock^Star SG

hmm who knows lol. Maybe coming soon. I have watched him play since he was 16, hot headed streak improved a lot but just when u think he's fine, some shit happens :)

iceFatboy SG

well at least he hav not shot someone.

or slept with his best mate's wife..

(maybe that's why some individuals/team can't play well, one eye on ball, one eye on wife).. :P

similanjiaomycockbig ok SG

This rooney is quite a rogue really. Cheated on pregnant wife, bad temper, violent conduct....etc.

hey clown...u still around talking nonsense again?

zocoss SG

An FA probe hinged on Mark Clattenburg's report and the referee confirmed he had seen the incident and was content with how he had dealt with it on the field at the time - when he awarded Wigan a free kick. The official's verdict left the governing body powerless to launch disciplinary proceedings against Rooney.

Retrospective 'trial by video' may only be used for incidents that escape the attention of the referee. Clattenburg would first of all have had to admitted he did not see the incident and then explain exactly what he gave the free-kick for given the striker committed no other offence.

Clattenburg’s stance was supported by the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, whose general manager, Mike Riley, said: "Mark took the correct course of action with this incident. Match officials are trained to prioritise following the ball, as that’s where the greater majority of incidents are going to take place.

"However, we also do a lot of work around the area of peripheral vision to be aware of anything that might potentially happen off the ball.

"In this incident, Mark was following play but caught sight of two players coming together and he awarded a free-kick because he believed one player had impeded the other. We should be clear that Mark did nothing wrong in officiating this incident as he acted on what he saw on the pitch."

Fifa regulations which prevent the 're-refereeing’ of games retrospectively, with the exception of circumstances when officials admit they have failed to take the necessary action, effectively left the FA powerless to act further after receiving Clattenburg’s report.

Yet there was also a sense of relief within the FA that a precedent had not been set which could have led to officials erring on the side of caution during future games, whereby yellow cards would be issued instead of red on the grounds that the FA would then deal with the matter on a Monday morning.