Wayne Rooney today hit back at the Football Association after losing his appeal to have his two-game ban for swearing into a camera reduced.
The FA confirmed this morning that they would uphold their sanction on the Manchester United striker for his reaction after scoring a hat-trick against West Ham and he will now miss next week's FA Cup semi-final against rivals Manchester City.
But Rooney, who scored in his club's 1-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg win at Chelsea last night, feels he has been victimized.
"I am gutted to miss two matches, one of which is an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley," he said in a statement.
"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. Whatever, I have to accept that what's happened has happened and move on from here. That is what I intend to do."
United were informed of the decision by the FA last night but the information was kept private.
They also backed their player in a statement of their own: "Manchester United is clearly very disappointed," it read. The FA did, however, not increase the ban meaning Rooney will miss Saturday's Fulham match and the City clash - he can play in next week's return leg with Chelsea.
Rio Ferdinand leaped to Rooney's defence today and said: "I wouldn't say he is innocent in a lot of the stuff that has happened but sometimes because of the player he is and who he is the reaction can be over the top."
