Wayne Rooney and Coke Zero
Wayne Rooney is "gutted" that he will miss Manchester United's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City after the Football Association upheld a two-match ban imposed on the player.
Rooney was handed the suspension for using offensive, insulting and/or abusive language at West Ham United and had hoped to have it reduced, or cleared completely, at an appeal. However, it was confirmed on Thursday that he will still miss this weekend's Premier League match against Fulham and the FA Cup match against City.
In a statement issued through his spokesman, Ian Monk, Rooney said: "I am gutted to miss two matches, one of which is an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. 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."
A statement from the FA said: "A Regulatory Commission has suspended Manchester United's Wayne Rooney for two matches. Rooney had admitted a charge for the use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language, but claimed that the automatic penalty of two games was clearly excessive. The Commission did not accept the claim and Rooney will begin the standard two-match suspension with immediate effect."
Rooney's club responded with its own statement: "Manchester United is clearly very disappointed with the Regulatory Commission's decision. The club put forward a very strong case to have the punishment reduced, which was unsuccessful. "Wayne Rooney apologised immediately after the match and the club now wishes to move to on to what hopefully will be a very exciting conclusion to the season."
The decision means Rooney will be available for the trip to Newcastle United on 19 April and he can also play in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg Chelsea.
The FA will view it as a watershed moment for their hopes of improving player behaviour, while it is another blow to Rooney's image, even if sources close to the player have been anxious to distance confirmation of a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola not being renewed last year amid lurid allegations about his private life.
United team-mate Rio Ferdinand also rallied to Rooney's cause, insisting it is now time to call off the "lynching" of his friend. "We should follow him as a footballer rather than keep lynching him for a lot of the stuff that goes on," he 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. Wayne Rooney swearing on TV, as much as I don't condone it, is not front page news. There are bigger things going on in the world. There are things happening in Libya and Ivory Coast and we are talking about Wayne Rooney on the front page of newspapers because he swore at a camera.
"I don't condone it but because it is him everyone goes over the top. I don't feel sorry for him. He thrives off the attention. But he thrives off football attention rather than the stuff on the outside. He loves playing football. That's what he wants to be judged on and talked about."
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