Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan blasts FA’s double standards: Officials are frightened of Wayne Rooney & Manchester United

Dave Whelan (Getty Images)

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Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan is furious with the FA and claims that they are employing double standards when it comes to Manchester United and their players.

The matter in question is was an elbow by Wayne Rooney on James McCarthy when the two teams met in the Premier League on Saturday. And at the time, the former Everton forward was not reprimanded by the referee.

It had been thought that the FA might intervene and charge the 25-year-old, but it has been confirmed that no action will be taken.

Now Whelan feels that the authorities are “frightened” of Rooney and the Red Devils.

“It sends out a terrible message,” the chairman told The Sun.

“Something is wrong when a top international like Rooney is seen doing something like this, as clear as day, and is allowed to get away without being punished.

“If it was any other club or player, you can bet your life he would have been sent off. But officials seem intimidated by the words ‘Rooney’ and ‘United’.

“Manchester United are allowed to get away with things the rest of us get pulled up for. And you can’t have one set of rules for one club and another for the rest.

“I don’t care what the FA say about the matter being dealt with at the time by us getting a free-kick. They, and everyone else in football, know justice isn’t being served here.

“The FA will be delighted they can hide behind their rules and let Rooney off, as they are frightened of taking sanctions against him and his club.”

The FA have not taken action as referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a free-kick to the Latics after to the incident.

Whelan maintains that the referee may not have seen the magnitude of the transgression, but hit out at the other officials involved in the game.

He said: “But can you honestly tell me the other three officials couldn’t see that it was a stonewall sending off?

“If it had been the other way round, and James had whacked Rooney, there’s no doubt in my mind he would have been shown a red card.”