Since it concerns both clubs I thought it was appropriate to post it here.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article5361676.ece
Manchester United coaches, including Mike Phelan, have been accused of providing inconsistent, unreliable and misleading evidence to the disciplinary commission that investigated the “Battle of the Bridge”, when Patrice Evra clashed with Chelsea groundstaff.
The FA has posted the commission’s full findings on its website in the interests of greater transparency in the disciplinary process, but this break from convention is bound to provoke a furious reaction from Sir Alex Ferguson, particularly when he reads the scathing criticism of his players’ behaviour and the doubts about the credibility of his coaching staff.
Ferguson claimed to have been shocked by the four-match ban given to Evra but the report by the four-man panel, which included David Pleat, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager, makes it very clear that the France full back was entirely to blame for provoking the 30-man mêlée.
And even more damagingly for United, the report is strongly critical of the reliability of evidence provided by United, particularly Phelan, the first-team coach, who claimed that Evra was called “a f***ing immigrant” by Sam Bethell, one of the Chelsea groundstaff. Phelan managed to contradict himself — and Richard Hartis, the United goalkeeping coach — in his two statements to the commission.
“The racist remark is placed at significantly different points in time in the two statements,” the report reads. “The inconsistencies in Mr Phelan’s evidence about the sequence of events are not just the normal expected uncertainty about detail. They cast serious doubt on the reliability of their overall evidence.”
Chelsea were furious that United sources leaked allegations of racism against Bethell, believing that United did so to draw attention from their own bad behaviour. Ferguson and his men were angry at losing the game 2-1, with Rio Ferdinand accidentally knocking into a female steward as he stormed up the Stamford Bridge tunnel. “A number of United players were in a rather wound-up state,” the report found. No United players, not even Evra, testified that they heard the racist remark and Bethell had insisted that he had used the word “idiot” rather than immigrant.
“If Mr Phelan and Mr Hartis are right in their recollection, then it is in the first place surprising that Mr Evra himself did not hear the remark,” the report continues. “It is notable that there were several other people far nearer to Mr Bethell at the critical point in time than were either Mr Phelan or Mr Hartis. Nobody else has come forward with an allegation of any such remark.”
In terms of the initial provocation, the commission found that the United players “were at least as responsible as Chelsea groundstaff. Gary Neville in particular was behaving in an abusive and provocative manner.”
United players were warming down by running around the pitch as Chelsea staff attempted to repair the grass. As the argument erupted, Evra “unnecessarily and gratuitously” banged into Jason Griffin, Chelsea’s head groundsman, who was holding a fork. When the defender told Griffin to drop the implement, the groundsman replied: “I’ll shove the f***ing fork up your a***.” The commission found Griffin a “frank, calm and sensible” witness in contrast to Tony Strudwick, the United fitness coach, who is accused of giving a “misleading” impression and being aggressive even as he gave evidence regarding events of April 26.
The report’s criticism explains why, despite Ferguson’s outrage at the four-match ban and £15,000 fine for Evra, the club decided not to appeal. Evra was found guilty of four charges of improper conduct, including striking Bethell on the side of the head, which the player still denies.
The four-man panel was made up of Pleat, Barry Bright, chairman of the FA’s disciplinary committee, Roy Carter, from the West Riding FA, with Nicholas Stewart, QC, as chairman.
Ferguson was not impressed that the FA called it an “independent” commission. “I wouldn’t know what they were thinking if I were sitting at the breakfast table with them,” Ferguson said. He knows now.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article5361676.ece
Manchester United coaches, including Mike Phelan, have been accused of providing inconsistent, unreliable and misleading evidence to the disciplinary commission that investigated the “Battle of the Bridge”, when Patrice Evra clashed with Chelsea groundstaff.
The FA has posted the commission’s full findings on its website in the interests of greater transparency in the disciplinary process, but this break from convention is bound to provoke a furious reaction from Sir Alex Ferguson, particularly when he reads the scathing criticism of his players’ behaviour and the doubts about the credibility of his coaching staff.
Ferguson claimed to have been shocked by the four-match ban given to Evra but the report by the four-man panel, which included David Pleat, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager, makes it very clear that the France full back was entirely to blame for provoking the 30-man mêlée.
And even more damagingly for United, the report is strongly critical of the reliability of evidence provided by United, particularly Phelan, the first-team coach, who claimed that Evra was called “a f***ing immigrant” by Sam Bethell, one of the Chelsea groundstaff. Phelan managed to contradict himself — and Richard Hartis, the United goalkeeping coach — in his two statements to the commission.
“The racist remark is placed at significantly different points in time in the two statements,” the report reads. “The inconsistencies in Mr Phelan’s evidence about the sequence of events are not just the normal expected uncertainty about detail. They cast serious doubt on the reliability of their overall evidence.”
Chelsea were furious that United sources leaked allegations of racism against Bethell, believing that United did so to draw attention from their own bad behaviour. Ferguson and his men were angry at losing the game 2-1, with Rio Ferdinand accidentally knocking into a female steward as he stormed up the Stamford Bridge tunnel. “A number of United players were in a rather wound-up state,” the report found. No United players, not even Evra, testified that they heard the racist remark and Bethell had insisted that he had used the word “idiot” rather than immigrant.
“If Mr Phelan and Mr Hartis are right in their recollection, then it is in the first place surprising that Mr Evra himself did not hear the remark,” the report continues. “It is notable that there were several other people far nearer to Mr Bethell at the critical point in time than were either Mr Phelan or Mr Hartis. Nobody else has come forward with an allegation of any such remark.”
In terms of the initial provocation, the commission found that the United players “were at least as responsible as Chelsea groundstaff. Gary Neville in particular was behaving in an abusive and provocative manner.”
United players were warming down by running around the pitch as Chelsea staff attempted to repair the grass. As the argument erupted, Evra “unnecessarily and gratuitously” banged into Jason Griffin, Chelsea’s head groundsman, who was holding a fork. When the defender told Griffin to drop the implement, the groundsman replied: “I’ll shove the f***ing fork up your a***.” The commission found Griffin a “frank, calm and sensible” witness in contrast to Tony Strudwick, the United fitness coach, who is accused of giving a “misleading” impression and being aggressive even as he gave evidence regarding events of April 26.
The report’s criticism explains why, despite Ferguson’s outrage at the four-match ban and £15,000 fine for Evra, the club decided not to appeal. Evra was found guilty of four charges of improper conduct, including striking Bethell on the side of the head, which the player still denies.
The four-man panel was made up of Pleat, Barry Bright, chairman of the FA’s disciplinary committee, Roy Carter, from the West Riding FA, with Nicholas Stewart, QC, as chairman.
Ferguson was not impressed that the FA called it an “independent” commission. “I wouldn’t know what they were thinking if I were sitting at the breakfast table with them,” Ferguson said. He knows now.
interesting
