FERGIE SAYS SORRY

"I DON'T expect Wenger to ever apologise - he's not that type of person." - Sir Alex Ferguson, January 2005

SIR Alex Ferguson attaches great significance to the ability to apologise. Believe me, I know. And he's correct to do so.

Respect is not necessarily about doing the right thing. It's knowing when you have done the wrong thing.

It is not necessarily about commenting fairly and objectively on a referee's performance. But it is about having the honesty and humility to admit when you are mistaken.

Which is why Ferguson's frank admission of his culpability in the Alan Wiley case is a landmark moment.

Almost. My heart sank when I heard suggestions last week that Ferguson might contest any FA disciplinary charge.

Who would have defended him? Bob Massingbird? He was the lawyer referred to by Blackadder when he was on trial for shooting a pigeon.

"I remember Massingbird's most famous case," reminisced Blackadder. "The Case of the Bloody Knife. A man was found next to a murdered body. He had the knife in his hand. 13 witnesses had seen him stab the victim. And when the police arrived, he said 'I'm glad I killed the bastard.'

"Massingbird not only got him off, he got him knighted in the New Year's Honours List and the relatives of the victim had to pay to wash the blood out of his jacket."

Massingbird would probably have refused to take Ferguson's case. Hence yesterday's statement.

But as apologies go, it is hardly a searing confession of guilt. It has the dead hands of lawyers and PR men all over it.

Essentially, Ferguson regrets making his views public. He never once admits those views have no grounding whatsoever in fact. On the face of it, his words towards Wiley seem almost kind.

"I have always respected Mr Wiley's integrity and . . . I did not state or imply that Mr Wiley is a bad referee, that he was in any way biased, that decision-making generally during the game was poor or that he missed any key incident during the game."

No, you just said he was not fit enough to referee the game. A crushing accusation which struck at the very heart of Wiley's professionalism. And overwhelming statistics have proven that to be not the case.

Yet that humiliating suggestion has not been withdrawn in this carefully-crafted document.

Sir Alex has been man enough to admit he was wrong - but either cannot accept, or refuses to acknowledge, that he is mistaken.

But maybe we would have been expecting too much for Ferguson to hold his hands up without any conditions.

And when the Manchester United manager starts a statement with the words 'I apologise', you know this is a significant development.

In fact, it is something that could actually give campaigns such as the FA's Respect programme and our own Shut It project their biggest boost.

Because the ethos of bringing respect back to the game does not rest solely with a system of punitive measures. Nor with well-meaning initiatives from the governing bodies and football lovers.

No, it also rests with the game's most influential figures owning up when they have done wrong.

As influential figures go, they don't come any bigger than Ferguson. He sets the standard others follow.

And while stripped bare, his comments are hardly contrite, they are a start. If those others take Ferguson's lead and reflect sensibly on the damage their disparaging comments about referees cause, then Respect might just make a return to the beautiful game.

Now by the print edition of the News Of The World for more from Andy Dunn

This article has 3 comments