THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Manchester United players have blamed Chelsea staff for provoking the post-match brawl following the Red Devils’ Premier League loss at Stamford Bridge.
At least six Man United players were involved in the clash with Chelsea stewards and groundsmen after Saturday’s 2-1 loss, which left the two teams tied on points at the top of the standings with two games left in the season.
“We’re filing a report and it will be sent to the FA (Football Association),” United manager Alex Ferguson said Monday at a heated news conference. “We’re very happy with that. We’re delighted with that. We hope the FA investigates it.”
Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, Park Ji-sung, Danny Wellbeck, John O’Shea and Paul Scholes — who all did not play in the match — were running on the pitch in a warm-down about 30 minutes after the final whistle when the trouble broke out.
The scuffles came as the Chelsea ground staff were cutting the grass to prepare the turf for the second leg of the Champions League semifinals against Liverpool on Wednesday. The Man United players were reportedly asked not to run across the pitch and to jog in the same direction as the lawn mowers.
According to British news reports, the players refused, words were exchanged and the brawl began.
Allegations that Evra, who is black, was racially abused have been denied.
Carlos Tevez, who was an unused substitute during the match, also became involved and said an insult to Evra sparked the brawl.
“Patrice received a grave insult from a member of Chelsea’s staff,” Tevez was quoted as saying in Monday’s edition of The Guardian newspaper. “He demanded an explanation and, from that moment, these men just wanted to attack Patrice.
“Obviously, it’s normal that we tried to defend our teammate, but within a few seconds all of the United players were surrounded by stewards.”
The FA said it would look at video and closed-circuit footage before deciding whether to take any disciplinary action.
United players face fines and possible bans if they are charged with bringing the game into disrepute.
Chelsea said in a statement Sunday that it would study CCTV footage and photographs and then “consider an appropriate course of action.”
United defender Gerard Pique said the fracas was sparked by “the provocation of somebody who works for Chelsea.”
“Patrice wanted an explanation but these men were very aggressive,” Pique was quoted as saying in The Guardian. “All we were doing was finishing our workout after the game.
“Even now, I just do not understand the reaction of these people. I have seen the photos and, if the images are stored in the CCTV cameras, then it will be impossible for them to say that the players were not provoked.”
Photographs in Monday’s newspapers showed a Chelsea groundsman, identified as Sam Bethell, raising a fist toward Evra while being held back by two Chelsea staff members.
The Times of London and The Daily Telegraph said Monday that because of animosity over the incident, United refused to release a joint statement with Chelsea detailing what happened.
Referee Alan Wiley didn’t see the brawl as he was in the locker-room.
“I didn’t know anything about what might have happened after the match until I saw (television highlights program) ‘Match of the Day,”‘ Wiley said.
The Sun newspaper also alleged Monday that United midfielder Owen Hargreaves, a Calgary native, swore at fourth official Mike Riley in the tunnel after the match.
United captain Rio Ferdinand apologized on Sunday for kicking out in frustration in the tunnel after the match and hitting a female steward. Both incidents in the tunnel were reportedly caught on CCTV.