ALEX Ferguson will not face any disciplinary action over his remarks criticising referee Mark Clattenburg for sending off Darren Fletcher, the English FA have confirmed.

Fletcher was given his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards against Birmingham on Saturday. Afterwards Ferguson appeared to imply that Clattenburg had been inconsistent this season but the FA decided his remarks did not cross the boundary to allege bias or impute the official’s integrity.

The decision will come as a relief to the United boss, who has a two-match suspended touchline ban hanging over him after he questioned Alan Wiley’s fitness earlier this season. After Fletcher’s red card at Birmingham, Ferguson said he had been “watching Mark Clattenburg this season”.