Related Articles
Top Stories
May 27 2012 11:21
There's a price war raging between South Africa's cellphone networks after Cell C lowered the rates of its prepaid calls by more than 34%.
May 27 2012 13:09
The oversupply of golf estates has claimed another victim.
May 28 2012 07:53
The City of Cape Town has spent R175m running the Myciti bus service since the Soccer World Cup compared to an income of R35m, a report says.
London - England striker Wayne Rooney has threatened to stop co-operating with the Football Association's (FA) commercial deals in protest at his three-game ban, according to reports here on Sunday.
The 20-year-old was banned for his red card in a pre-season friendly against Porto earlier this month.
Rooney's agent Paul Stretford has sent a letter to FA chief executive Brian Stretford saying his client "feels extremely let down".
He stressed Rooney's "dismay" would not however affect his availability as a player for England, but that the Manchester United forward was ready to pull out of commercial activities for the FA.
Stretford's letter reportedly said: "I am writing on behalf of my client to express his utter dismay at the decision not to overturn the ban. Rooney feels extremely let down by the FA on this matter.
"While he will continue if selected to play for his country with pride and commitment, he is considering withdrawing his support for the FA's commercial programme: in other words, he will not allow his image to be used or exploited, or participate in personal appearances for and on behalf of the FA's commercial partners unless he is satisfied with how the FA conducts its affairs in regard to player matters."
Rooney was dismissed by referee Ruud Bossen when he caught Porto's Pepe in the face with his arm as he jumped for a header in the Amsterdam tournament at the start of the month.
Bossen sent his match report to the FA but United were encouraged to appeal and assured it would be dealt with sympathetically.
The FA's independent disciplinary committee, however, looked at the evidence and decided Bossen made the right decision and that the suspension should stand - to the fury of United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and Rooney, and the dismay of new England manager Steve McClaren.