FA Write To Sir Alex & Carlos

The Football Association has sent a letter to Sir Alex Ferguson and his assistant Carlos Queiroz asking them to explain comments made after the Reds' FA Cup defeat to Portsmouth.

Ferguson and Queiroz were both unhappy with the refereeing performance of Martin Atkinson, most notably because they felt he failed to award a penalty for what they felt was a clear foul on Cristiano Ronaldo after just seven minutes of the tie.

United went on to lose 1-0, and the Reds boss and his assistant felt the incident was a turning point in the game.

Sir Alex was also unhappy with (Match Officials Board manager) Keith Hackett.

In a statement on its website, the FA said: "[We] have written to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and assistant coach Carlos Queiroz to ask them to explain their media comments made following the FA Cup tie against Portsmouth."

Both parties have until Wednesday 19 March to respond.