Man Utd boss Ferguson regrets withdrawing team from FA Cup

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says he was wrong to withdraw the club from the FA Cup ten years ago.

Ironically, Ferguson has always felt the move benefited United that season because they were able to recharge their batteries in the South American sunshine while major rivals Arsenal and Leeds were starting to struggle and, refreshed and raring to go, the Old Trafford outfit went on to retain their title by a massive 18 points.

However, he told Inside United: "It turned out to be a disaster for us.

"We did it to help England's World Cup bid. That was the political situation. I regretted it because we got nothing but stick and terrible criticism for not being in the FA Cup when really, it wasn't our fault.

"The FA and the government felt that playing in this tournament would help England's bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

"There was a lot of undue criticism - but it was a great two-week break."

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