After their defeat in the FA Cup semi-finals match against Everton, Sir Alex Ferguson boss of Manchester United has put the blame on Referee Mike Riley. He complained that Mike did not give them the rightful spot-kick when Phil Jagielka appeared to have fouled Danny Welbeck as a result Everton won on penalties.

This he said could be because Everton boss David Moyes had said that Mike Riley was a supporter of Manchester United and had raised objections on appointing Mike Riley as referee for the match. There is a possibility that this must have weighed on the mind of Mike and as a result United paid the price. Rafael Benitez the boss of Liverpool in January had remarked that Sir Alex Ferguson is the only manager who can get even after attacking referees verbally and it had sparked a feud between them that is still going on.

Sir Alex angrily stormed at the pitch after Riley’s decision but in the media conference after the match he confessed for a possibility of doubt on his decision. He said that after seeing the video it appears a penalty kick and unfortunately a major decision has gone against them. Of course the referee does not get to see the play happen on a giant full HD LCD television in instant replay, and Riley must make the best calls he can from the pitch. Sir Alex said now one has to move on as you can do nothing about this now. He further added that though he cannot say that this is the reason for loosing the match but he feels that when the referee will watch this video he will realise his mistake. Rio Ferdinand captain of United endorsed the view point of Ferguson and said that there is always hesitation in the minds of the referees for a penalty decision in favour of the champions.