Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson may still be charged by the FA over comments made about ref Alan Wiley.
The Mail on Sunday says Ferguson yesterday interrupted a holiday in New York to apologise to Wiley, whom he branded as not fit enough to referee a Premier League game, following last Saturday's 2-2 draw against Sunderland.
However, Alan Leighton, the head of the union which represents referees, insisted that Ferguson's surprise move had only made things worse and the Football Association should still punish him severely.
Leighton, national secretary of Prospect, the professionals' union which represents referees, said: "If anything, what Sir Alex Ferguson has said makes things worse. The FA should charge him and take serious action against him.
"He's apologised for causing embarrassment to Alan Wiley, but not for calling him an unfit referee. In addition he has extrapolated it to being an issue about referees in general in England being unfit.
"I think he's bringing the game into disrepute. The FA's own disciplinary rules talk about four types of offence in public comments. 'The implication of bias does not apply, but by questioning Alan Wiley's fitness he has questioned the integrity of another participant. The rules also say personally offensive comments should be avoided.
"And to suggest that we've got unfit referees in general is to the detriment of the game as a whole because it damages the confidence of fans, players and everyone else involved in the game."
