The Football Association has contacted Manchester United legend, Wayne Rooney, after he claimed he once wore dangerous longer studs in a game against Chelsea in order to hurt the opposition player,according to Sky Sports reports.
Rooney had said he had to wear dangerous but legal longer studs for Man United’s Premier League title clash with Chelsea in 2006 so that he could ‘hurt’ a Blues player.
Man United would have stopped Chelsea from lifting the trophy had they won the match, which would have also kept their title hopes alive as they were nine points behind the Blues with three matches to go.
United’s chances of leapfrogging Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side then were slim and Rooney conceded that he ‘couldn’t take’ the idea of watching his rivals clinch the Premier League title at Stamford Bridge.
So, he opted to change his normal studs for longer ones in order to inflict more damage on a Chelsea star.
During the match, Rooney made a studs-first challenge on Chelsea captain, John Terry, who left the stadium on crutches in the aftermath.
Ultimately, though, Rooney’s plan didn’t work as Chelsea secured the title by winning 3-0, and the former striker himself was stretchered off with an injury just before full-time, which severely hampered his preparations for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Now, Rooney could be facing a backdated disciplinary intervention from the FA, after the English football body contacted him in order to ask for clarification about his comments.
There is a precedent for players being punished after admitting to deliberately hurting an opponent.
Recall that Man United legend, Roy Keane, was fined £150,000 in 2002 after he disclosed in his autobiography that he had deliberately made a terrible tackle on Manchester City’s Alf Inge Haaland.
Rooney is currently the manager of Derby County.