Wayne Rooney is facing a two-match ban that would rule him out of the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City after the FA charged him with using insulting or offensive language.
The Manchester United striker has until 6pm today to respond to the charge that resulted from him swearing directly into a pitchside camera after scoring a penalty to complete his hat-trick during his team’s 4-2 win over West Ham United in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.
Rooney can accept the charge, appeal against the severity of the sentence or protest his innocence. If he chooses to contest it, his case will be heard by an FA disciplinary commission tomorrow. The charge carries a statutory two-match ban, although this could be increased to three if his appeal is deemed frivolous. That could seriously hamper United’s attempt to land another treble this season.
Any punishment would begin immediately after the hearing, which would rule Rooney out of United’s league match with Fulham on Saturday and the semi-final at Wembley the following weekend.
It is difficult to see how he can escape a ban given the evidence provided by television pictures broadcast in 150 countries and the unambiguous nature of the FA’s rulebook when it comes to offensive language. But Rooney has three options. His advisers were keeping their counsel last night, but given the antipathy towards the FA in certain quarters at Old Trafford it is unlikely that United will give in without a fight.
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Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, claimed there was a campaign “to get him hung” after Rooney was criticised for appearing to elbow James McCarthy during a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in February, although in the event the FA took no action.
The FA’s decision was welcomed by Harry Redknapp, who condemned Rooney as a “silly boy”. The Tottenham Hotspur manager also took time out from preparing his side for tonight’s Champions League quarter- final, first leg against Real Madrid to question the striker’s mental state by asking why he should be seemingly so angry.
“I honestly haven’t heard what he said as I was driving back from Wigan,” Redknapp said. “On TV I looked at the coverage and they had blocked out the sound. I don’t know why.
“Why is he so angry? I don’t remember Bobby Charlton doing that when he scored or smashed one in from 30 yards, or Jimmy Greaves when he scored. Why do some young players have to be so angry with the world?
“They’re getting hundreds of thousands of pounds to play. I respect him as a player, but he’s a silly boy and he shouldn’t have done it.”
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Ferguson, however, is expected to express a different view this afternoon when he faces the media before United’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg against Chelsea tomorrow. The Scot is still angry at being given a five-match ban by the FA for questioning the integrity of Martin Atkinson, the referee, after the league defeat against Chelsea last month.
Rooney issued a statement of apology through United shortly after the game at Upton Park, and must decide whether to risk an increased suspension by appealing.
The FA’s robust stance is also a boost for Richard Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive, who was publicly criticised by Ferguson last week after announcing a new initiative to clamp down on indiscipline towards match officials such as bad language and aggressive behaviour.