Severe Punishment

The suggestion after the Wigan game that, somehow, everyone, the FA especially, is scared of Sir Alex, which looked stupid at the time, becomes stupider by the day. Given that he has 2 games of a four match touchline ban under suspension. A touchline ban from The FA. This is the FA who are too scared to punish Rooney because Sir Alex claimed in an interview that it was "nothing."
For some reason Sir Alex's pronouncements after games have the same weight as tablets handed down from Mount Sinai. Anyone else says anything after game and it's "in the heat of moment," Sir Alex opens his mouth and it's part of a Machiavellian plot to undermine civilised society. Here's some idiot in The Telegraph -

Regardless of whether Atkinson was right not to give Luiz a second yellow card, that Ferguson will be allowed to publicly doubt that Atkinson is a fair referee will eat further into the Football Association’s Respect campaign, for it shows no respect at all.

How many times has Harry Redknapp started a post match interview with "I'm not one to criticise referees but..." before launching into a tirade against referees and journalists believe him -" Harry, oh cheeky Harry, he ain't one to criticise referees..." The odd thing is that Sir Alex is often fair after games, he's not the bury-your-head-in-the-sand Arsene type, if he's asked for an opinion on a sending off he generally agrees, even if it's one of our players. The minute he criticises a referee (after ridiculous provocation...) everyone forgets this.
And, I know I don't read everything the papers write on football, especially on other teams, but when was the last time bloody Alan Leighton, chief referee's apologist, was wheeled out for an opinion - yes, after Sir Alex was criticised for laying into Alan Wiley. Anyone else slags off refs he stays under his rock, only emerging when the lynch mob are after Sir Alex.
There's only two voices which seem to talk sense here, and they are James Lawton and Graham Poll. And I am shocked I just wrote that. The 2 people I've called out most on this blog and they're defending Sir Alex. The world turned on its head. Graham Poll, to be fair, simply takes a consisent view - he says what everyone else says when A manager (other than Sir Alex) criticises referees namely, that leeway should be given for heat of the moment comments -

So I understand that, when Ferguson gave an interview minutes after the game, the defeat was still raw and he was angry at the effect Atkinson's decisions had on the outcome. If you prod a hornets' nest, expect to be stung.

Post-match interviews provide a great service to fans, but I think the FA should acknowledge that emotions are running high, and allow managers leeway in what they say.

This is exactly the same principle which referees apply to dissent and abusive language during a match: officials will generally make allowances for 'heat of the moment' abuse.

James Lawton's piece has this good observation on Luiz - " along with his virtuosity came what seemed like a thoroughly unpleasant belief that he could do more or less what he liked with pretty much absolute impunity," a license given him by Atkinson. Lawton's final paragraph is the clincher -

The FA may choose, again, to cast Ferguson as the villain. But then one of these days maybe it should recognise him as not the disease but its most persistent symptom. The real malady, surely, is a refereeing system too often unfit for purpose

Except, of course, it's not just the FA who cast Sir Alex as the villian, it's the media too. Apparently that's easier than questioning the refereeing system or the dirty bunch of cheats who play at Stamford Bridge.