1) Blackpool and Wolves fined for fielding "weakened squads"
Blackpool (2011) and Wolves (2010) were each fined £25,000 for fielding what the FA deemed as a "weakened squad". Man Utd had previously fielded what was virtually a reserve team against West Ham ahead of an FA Cup final with Chelsea, this had direct permutations for the rest of the league. Sheffield United were relegated and West Ham survived. Wolves would most likely have lost at Old Trafford anyway even with their "full strength" side, Blackpool lost narrowly to Villa due to an injury time winner. What we can say for sure is that Man Utd with a full strength side, would most likely have won and therefore left West Ham relegated and Sheffield United in the Premier League. Had West Ham got relegated that season they'd have slid into the financial abyss, now they are mid-table in the Premier League beating the likes of Chelsea whilst the highlight of Sheffield United's season is beating the likes of Scunthorpe in League One. The direct implications that Man Utd had on the fortunes of both clubs is beyond fathomable. They were at home and therefore expected to win, instead who do the Man Utd biased media focus on? Rafa Benitez and Liverpool. Whilst it could be argued Liverpool did no differently to what United did they were away from home, Fulham had also beaten them the previous season at Craven Cottage and Liverpool had not performed in the league all season, in contrast to United who were league winners. Ask yourself if the FA would have dared to undermine Alex Ferguson's team selection as they did with Ian Holloway and Mick McCarthy? I think we all know the answer to that.
2) David Gill sitting on the board of the FA and the media cover up
I have little or no time for Rafael Benitez but he was spot on when challenging Ferguson/Man Utd's relationship with the FA hierachy. Biased means to be "one sided" or have one particular point of view. This very article itself is biased. David Gill sitting on the board of the FA means he cannot be impartial. The FA now are doing everything in their power to push for Gill to be elected to the UEFA board. My bet is that Ferguson's retirement is imminent and they want Gill in the most powerful position possible both at the FA and UEFA. There has been little or no mention of the press, I can't imagine a situation whereby a Chelsea affiliate could do any of the aforementioned without eyebrows raised. Remember the anti-Russian agenda in our press still exists today and is evident in the media scrutinisation and character assassination of Roman Abramovich. This is not just something common with United, at the time I echoed the sentiments of Jose Mourinho who claimed David Dein had to step down. Similarly with Gill, I thought Dein's relationship with the FA couldn't possibly make him impartial. Even I had sympathy for Spurs when on the last day with 10 senior players suffering from food poisoning, they were told they had to play, in not just any game but a London derby. When that decision was made can anybody honestly picture Dein saying or even thinking "Yes, we should postpone the game to give Tottenham a fair chance, it may harm Arsenal's chances of finishing 4th and there will be huge financial ramifications but so be it."? Of course not. I also felt at the time the punishment we had for "tapping up" Ashley Cole was too extreme. A suspended 3 point deduction was harsh and way over the top but fed off the media frenzy and jealousy surrounding our change in fortunes. My point is that there is no way an Arsenal employee could act impartially involving anyone but least all of Tottenham and Chelsea.
3) Conduct of Man Utd players and the cover ups
Wayne Rooney elbows James McCarthy? No ban, little media acknowledgement of the incident. Yet Sky almost single handedly launch a campaign to get Ivanovic banned for an incident that few acknowledged during time of play. The same has happened with Van Persie and there are numerous incidents involving Man Utd players but none bar Gary Neville have faced any retrospective action. Jonny Evans karate kicks Didier Drogba in what was one of the most disgusting acts I have ever witnessed in my time going football and what are Sky talking about? A 50/50 decision that went our way. Not even a mention of Evans.
That very same season in the reverse fixture a Man Utd player blatantly cheats to punch the ball in the net in Maradona-esque style and the next day Sky focus on an offside goal claiming it has "won" Chelsea the title. Had Drogba cheated to score and United scored an offside goal we all know the press would be focusing on Drogba's goal claiming he is a cheat and the anti-Drogba stuff they've come out with since he joined the club. Sky in particular are clever with their cover ups, as they are Man Utd's biggest cheerleaders, we witnessed the most farcical officiating of any game in Premier League history at Stamford Bridge on the 28th October and there wasn't any acknowledgement, instead we heard all about how Torres should have been sent off anyway, the same people that villified referee Anthony Taylor for sending off Carlton Cole and Darron Gibson in Everton's 2-1 win over West Ham. There really is no end people won't go to in order to defend Man Utd. It has got to the stage where people will go beyond logic, rationale and their own principles to defend them. The FA appealing to UEFA to reduce Rooney's ban after violent conduct towards a Macedonian player is a perfect illustration of their hypocrisy.
4) Preferential treatment of Sir Alex Ferguson over other managers
Labour and the BBC in particular were his biggest campaigners for knighthood, so it's not just synonymous with football but also politics. You would think Bob Paisley or Brian Clough would have been afforded similar accolades for their services to football but I guess not. Anyway, back to the football:
29th August 2009 - Arsene Wenger sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle by Mike Dean
19th October 2012 - Roberto Martinez fined for "suggestions" of Old Trafford bias. Despite praising the referee in other parts of the interview the FA seemed afraid of his comments and decided to punish him. £8,000 fine and a warning over future conduct was enough to silence him. What if Martinez had made "suggestions" of Stamford Bridge bias or Anfield bias? We all know nothing would have happened. The likelihood is Gill took umbrage with those comments and decided he would find a way to punish and silence Martinez.
22nd November 2011 - Andre Villas-Boas fined for suggestions of a conspiracy against Chelsea after numerous costly decisions were given against us in our title charge. One of the games he referred to was a game against none other than Man Utd. A game in which almost all footballing neutrals acknowledged Chelsea completely outplayed Man Utd but were undone by 2 offside goals and a penalty which was highly controversial and in my opinion was never a penalty in this planet or the next. His suggestions that Manchester United are favoured by the FA/referees were duly punished by Gill and his cronies at the FA. Little did Villas-Boas know that this game would be the better refereed of the two games he'd face United in that season.
Alex Ferguson has called referees "Fat", "Unfit" and even went as far as to call Martin Atkinson a "robber" after his side were virtually cost another treble by a controversial penalty decision that didn't go their way. He has and continues to berate and abuse referees left, right and centre with no punishment meanwhile we've seen the aforementioned punished for far less. The decision not to give Antonio Valencia a 2nd yellow card v Newcastle was a clear result of that. In what world can challenge a player from behind, go through the man without playing the ball and not get a yellow. Not to mention the clear handball by Evans in the first half which would also have seen him sent off. Dean simply came under too much pressure and in all honesty I don't blame him for not mentioning the abuse in his report, he'd have almost certainly never refereed another Man Utd game again if he had. Referees like footballers, want to be at the top, they want the big games. Like Foy, Dean will at least be able to ref a United game in 12/13 months, his career as a top referee is at least now salvageable unlike Andy D'urso who is nowhere to be seen on this stage.
Sky and the FA will continue colluding with one another to bump off the normal football fan and covering up the blatant corruption that exists, but there are many in others that have had the courage to face the problems that exist in their own countries. In this country we'll just sit and wait until the inevitable happens with Ferguson as we did with Jimmy Savile. It takes a brave man/journalist to stand up to corruption and irregularities in the game and we don't have any. We continue to place our faith in our politicians, bankers, mortgage lenders etc but to no avail. Much like the FA it's all about money over service, something synonymous with New Right and Tory policy. Man Utd have the most "fans" hence most viewers, Sky need them to keep winning and remain at the top. Liverpool have pretty much collapsed, Arsenal soon will too, if Man Utd went the same way it would be the last remaining of Sky's big 3 and viewing figures would collapse. It's a complete conflict of interests and against Murdoch's wishes for anybody but United to win the league. So when City are being made to play away from home down south on a Monday Night or Chelsea have fixture congestion over a busy period don't at all be surprised.
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