According to the Press AssociationSir Alex Ferguson has decided to appeal against the Football Association's improper conduct charge. Although the Scottish tactician has until Tuesday evening to respond to the charge, brought against him following his comments about referee Martin Atkinson following Manchester United's Premier League defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday, the 69-year-old has already decided he will challenge.
Ferguson appeared to bring Atkinson's integrity into question when he claimed "in matches like this you want a fair referee" in his post-match interview with the club's in-house television station MUTV.
Although Ferguson's defence has not been outlined it is thought he will rely heavily on the fact that he immediately appeared to backtrack on the "fair" observation, stating instead that he had hoped for a "strong" referee.
It is also likely to be claimed that in fearing the worst, Ferguson was eluding to Atkinson's ability to take charge of such a high-profile game rather than any implication of bias.
