FUMING Sir Alex Ferguson was involved in another bust- up with the FA – before the new season even started.
Starsport understands the Manchester United boss let rip at FA officials before storming out of a meeting earlier this month.
Fergie joined rival bosses at the get-together in London that also involved the Premier League, FA disciplinary staff and referees chief Mike Riley.
Fergie made his lack of respect for the FA clear before standing up and walking out of the room just minutes into a speech being given by a member of the FA disciplinary committee.
His actions marked a new low between Ferguson and FA bosses.
A United spokeswoman denied Fergie had been in an altercation and said: “Sir Alex left early to catch a train. He did not storm out and there was absolutely no row.”
The Scot has found himself in the dock countless times in his long career, but events of last season left the United boss raging.
He was left seething when Wayne Rooney got a two-match ban for swearing into a TV camera after scoring a hat-trick at West Ham.
United appealed but lost, which forced Ferguson to cope without Rooney for his side’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City.
Fergie was charged with improper conduct for his rant against referee Martin Atkinson in the wake of United’s league defeat at Chelsea in March. He challenged the charge but was hit with a five-match ban, which forced him to watch United’s Cup defeat from the stands.
Worse was to follow two months later when he was charged with improper conduct, despite praising ref Howard Webb before Chelsea’s crunch visit to Old Trafford.
Fergie was in hot water for breaking FA rules which ban bosses from talking about refs before games.
He didn’t respond to the charge and was let off with a warning.
During United’s USA tour last month Fergie claimed the FA had an agenda against him and his team.
He said: “I think sometimes there is an unfair focus on United on disciplinary issues. It will always be there and I think we know that. I don’t know whether it’s about me or the club, that’s a difficult one, but I think that (resentment) has got something to do with it.
“They’ve certainly always found a way to treat us differently. It has been happening for a while now.
“Personally, I felt hard done by last season. I defend my club, but that’s my job, yet part of the problem is that when I make comments, the media are on to the FA right away and there is no doubt about that.
“Then they feel forced to do something and they are afraid of what might happen if they don’t.”
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