Wayne Rooney was heard making a '12 men' remark into a television camera at the end of the defeat at Chelsea.
Wayne Rooney will join up with the England squad at their Hertfordshire base tomorrow having been warned by the Football Association as to his future conduct after being caught mouthing "12 men" into a television camera after Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday.
The United striker and his team-mates were from the turf furious that the hosts' winning goal had been allowed to stand, with Sir Alex Ferguson subsequently citing doubts over the validity of the award of Frank Lampard's decisive free-kick and pointing to an apparent foul by Didier Drogba on Wes Brown in the goalmouth as the ball veered in towards the six-yard box. Rooney's protest prompted a booking in the immediate aftermath of the goal, with his fury just as evident as he departed the pitch.
The incident had prompted comparisons with Drogba's reaction to elimination from last season's Champions League by Barcelona at the semi-final stage though, where the Ivorian had sworn into a camera with Uefa considering his manic behaviour to have been threatening to the Norwegian official, Rooney's was one of muttered disgust. His comment, with its perceived criticism of the referee, Martin Atkinson, was broadcast live, prompting the FA to warn a player who has been booked only three times this season to date.
Ferguson, in contrast, will not face any sanction despite claiming Atkinson's positioning at the game's only goal as "absolutely ridiculous". "It was a bad one. That goal should not have been allowed. You lose faith in the refereeing sometimes," said the United manager, who is already on an improper conduct charge after insisting Alan Wiley was "unfit" after a 2-2 draw with Sunderland. As Ferguson did not question the referee's integrity or imply any bias, no action will be taken by the FA.
