The FA have upheld the two-match suspension handed down to Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney for seeking out and swearing down a television camera as part of an ill-advised goal celebration. Rooney, who issued an apology immediately after the match, accepted the charge of using offensive language but was seeking to appeal the length of the sanctions, which will rule him out of United's FA Cup semi-final match against Manchester City. After his appeal was denied, Rooney issued a statement expressing disappointment with the decision:
Wayne Rooney’s 2-Match Ban Upheld By FA
I am not the first player to have sworn on TV and I won’t be the last.
Unlike others who have been caught swearing on camera, I apologised immediately. And yet I am the only person banned for swearing. That doesn’t seem right.
There’s a clear difference between being ‘caught’ swearing and what Rooney actually did, which is presumably the reason he’s getting the ban. The fact that he can’t tell the difference, even if one disagrees with the draconian nature of the punishment, is frankly baffling.
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