Manchester United blames Chelsea staff for row

BEIJING, April 29 -- 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 United players were involved in the clash with Chelsea stewards and groundsmen after Saturday's 1-2 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 yesterday 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 tomorrow. The United players were reportedly asked not to run across the pitch and to jog in the same direction as the lawnmowers.

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 yesterday'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 on 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."

Photographs in the newspapers showed a Chelsea groundsman, identified as Sam Bethell, raising a fist toward Evra while being held back by two Chelsea staff members.

In Sunday's action, John Carew headed an 86th-minute equalizer for Aston Villa to draw 2-2 with Everton in the Premier League.

Everton twice went ahead at Goodison Park, but three late goals in seven minutes gave Villa a point in the race to finish fifth and a place in next season's UEFA Cup.

The result also ensured that Liverpool can finish no lower than fourth place, the final Champions League berth.

The draw means that Everton has 62 points from 36 games, while has Villa 59 with two rounds to go.

Also, Roque Santa Cruz scored a 74th-minute winner for Blackburn to beat sixth-place Portsmouth 1-0 and virtually end Pompey's chances of finishing fifth.

(Source: Shanghai Daily/ Agencies)