Sir Alex Ferguson fined for linesman comments

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was fined £12,000 (NZ$22,691) by the Football Association (FA) today for comments he made about a linesman, but avoided a touchline ban.

Ferguson had been charged with misconduct after describing linesman Simon Beck's performance as "shocking" when he failed to flag for a penalty after Wayne Rooney was brought down in the area in United's 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur last month.

In a television interview after the Premier League match, Ferguson also made reference to an incident in a previous match against Chelsea when Beck was on duty.

"Following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today, Sir Alex Ferguson has been fined £12,000 in relation to media comments made after Manchester United's game at Tottenham Hotspur," the FA said in a statement.

"It was alleged that the Manchester United manager's post-match media comments implied that the match official was motivated by bias."

Ferguson had denied the misconduct charge.

He could have faced a touchline ban of up to four matches and will be glad this did not materialise as he seeks to guide leaders Manchester United to a 20th league title.

- Reuters