Shrek in shock as FA uphold two match ban

Wayne Rooney has hit out at the FA for refusing to slash his ban by claiming, “I won’t be the last player to swear on TV”.

Rooney is furious after being told he must serve a two match suspension for his four-letter outburst at West Ham on Saturday.

It means Rooney will sit out Saturday’s Premier League encounter with Fulham at Old Trafford, plus the eagerly-anticipated FA Cup semi-final with City at Wembley on April 16.

He said in a statement, “I am gutted to miss two matches, one of which is an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.I am not the first player to have sworn on TV and I won’t be the last. Unlike others who have been caught swearing on camera, I apologised immediately. And yet I am the only person banned for swearing. That doesn’t seem right. Whatever, I have to accept that what’s happened has happened and move on from here. That is what I intend to do.”

“Manchester United is clearly very disappointed with the decision,” said a statement issued by the Swamp outfit, “The club put forward a very strong case to have the punishment reduced, which was unsuccessful. Wayne apologised immediately after the match and the club now wishes to move to on to what hopefully will be a very exciting conclusion to the season.”

The FA opted not to release the outcome of yesterday’s disciplinary hearing immediately following a request by United, who did not wish to suffer any disruption to their preparation for last night’s Chelsea clash. However, the delay merely brought bad news.

“A Regulatory Commission has suspended Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney for two matches,” read a statement issued by the FA, “Rooney had admitted a charge for the use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language, but claimed that the automatic penalty of two games was clearly excessive. The Commission did not accept the claim and Rooney will begin the standard two-match suspension with immediate effect. The charge relates to an incident during his side’s fixture with West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday 2 April 2011.”

Roberto Mancini, speaking to Sky Sports News said, with a smile, “We are disappointed. When you play in games like this, it is important that all of the best players play. But if he can’t play, okay.”

Asked if he felt the FA ruling was right, Mancini added, “I don’t know. I think the managers and players here have a lot of respect for the referee and the FA.”