The football league was set to investigate Manchester United’s team selection for their coca-cola cup tie at Stoke. United lost the first leg of the second round tie 2-1 but manager Alex Ferguson included only four players who had starred in the 1-0 premier league win over Arsenal four days earlier. Ferguson was set to be asked to explain the wholesale changes made in the lineup.
The FA Said “We understand the clubs using a squad system, given the pressures of modern football, but we do not accept widespread without good reason. It is within our powers to take positive action, but there are various stages to go through.”
United was without Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, Paul Ince and Paul Parker with Steve Bruce and Lee Sharpe on the bench.
