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Ferguson sorry for Wiley rant
Manchester United, 13:08, October 10, 2009 ,
Sir Alex Ferguson has apologised to Alan Wiley for his accusation that he was physically not fit enough to referee.
The Manchester United manager questioned whether the Staffordshire whistle-blower was in the right physical condition to referee top-flight Premier League games following his side's 2-2 draw against Sunderland at Old Trafford last Saturday.
Referees past and present rounded on the Scot and the Football Association has written to the game's longest-serving manager for an explanation of his comments.
"I apologise to Mr Wiley for any personal embarrassment my comments may have caused and to the FA for going public with my views," said Ferguson.
"In retrospect I accept that they could be deemed as expressing those views in an inappropriate form.
"It was never my intention to bring the focus of intense media interest on Mr Wiley and I will apologise to him personally when I return from an overseas trip during the international break."