Ferguson and Queiroz charged by FA

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his assistant Carlos Queiroz have been charged with improper conduct, the Football Association said on Wednesday.

The charges relate to comments they made to the media following United's shock 1-0 home defeat by Portsmouth in the FA Cup quarter-final in March.

Ferguson said in a television interview that referee Martin Atkinson had been "on Portsmouth's side" and accused English referees chief Keith Hackett of "not doing his job properly".

He was annoyed by Atkinson's failure to award a penalty against Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo, adding that Ronaldo had been continually fouled.

In a newspaper report Queiroz was quoted as saying Atkinson was "a robber".

Ferguson and Queiroz have until April 17 to respond, the FA said on its official Web site (www.thefa.com).

(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Miles Evans)