Aberdeen legend Sir Alex Ferguson ruthlessly laughed off a ridiculous claim that was made about his legendary reign as Manchester United manager at Old Trafford.
The 83-year-old iconic Scotsman lifted 13 Premier League titles with the Red Devils and he led Manchester United to their iconic treble win in the 1998-99 season.
Sir Alex Ferguson left behind an incredible legacy in his remarkable management career with the Red Devils in England and in Scotland with Aberdeen.
The legendary former United manager is widely considered one of the best managers of all time and Ferguson had a seminal impact on English football.
Ferguson’s illustrious 26-year spell at Old Trafford came to an end in the 2012-13 Premier League season and the United legend bowed out of management in 2013.
The former Aberdeen boss has remained an ever-present figure at the Red Devils after his retirement and regularly attends Old Trafford to watch United matches.
Sir Alex Ferguson points out his ‘worst record’ to shut down brutal Man Utd myth
Sir Alex Ferguson’s incredible rule at Manchester United led to suggestions that the Red Devils and Aberdeen legend had influence over the match officials.
It led to myths around famous ideas like ‘Fergie Time’ and the wild belief that United would receive excessive added time from referees due to Ferguson’s presence.
Ferguson brutally dismissed that the referees were influenced by him and called it a “laughable” claim when he pointed out his own track record with match officials.
“This is a guy [me] who has the worst record of any manager in the history of English football, fined around a hundred thousand pounds by them, suspended so many times … that’s some influence, I must say,” he told Manchester United’s official website, as per The Guardian in 2013.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg made big claim against Man Utd legend Sir Alex Ferguson
Mark Clattenburg recalled his experience in the Premier League as a referee and what it was like with his interactions with former United manager Ferguson.
The 50-year-old former Premier League referee claimed that Ferguson would “try to intimidate all [of] the time” and he would even send some of his United players over to the officials.
“My first time at Old Trafford, I was probably his hero as that was the game when Pedro Mendes of Spurs scored over the goalline but I didn’t give the goal,” Mark Clattenburg said on BBC Sounds’ ‘Sacked in the Morning’ podcast, as per BBC Sport in 2022.
“That was probably a good start to my relationship with him but he used to try to intimidate all the time. He’d send his players in one by one to give you dogs’ abuse.
“First Rio [Ferdinand] would come in, then someone else and I knew it was just a tactic. I started saying to them: ‘Tell your boss to stop it!’”
United, who have struggled in the post-Ferguson era, are currently 13th in the Premier League table in the 2024-25 campaign amid the March international break.
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