Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has said that he will contest the Football Associationa s charges on him, alleging him of trying to bring disrepute to the game.
The Dutchman claimed a that every aspect of the game, the pitch, the refereea was against his side and were in support of the underdogs, after Uniteda s FA Cup fourth round tie against Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium ended in a goalless draw last month.
But Van Gaal asserts that he has failed to understand the basis of the charges and continues to maintain that he wasna t at fault, insisting that he has every intention of clearing his name.
a I am now for nearly 30 years a trainer-coach or manager and I have never been chargeda , the 63-year-old said via the Mirror in a press conference earlier today.
a You can confirm, as the media, that I never say anything about the referee, in all the matches I have played.
a I said it in front [before] the game and I said it after the game, only in the meaning of the general feeling of everybody, everybody for the underdoga , he continued.
a So I cannot imagine the FA has charged me. But, okay, it’s like that. Of course I will contest it. I never said anything wrong.a
Van Gaal also pointed out that despite the good run of form the team has been experiencing in the past few outings, theya ll be in for a difficult game against West Ham United, but hopes that his side will be able to go home with an important three points at Upton Park.
a I said that at the beginning of the week before the game against Leicester City, that this is an important week and we have to win all three matchesa , the former Ajax manager said.
a After we beat Leicester we were third in the league. After that, we beat Cambridge and we are in the next round of the FA Cup.
a Now, we have to continue and all of the players know that ita s true, but ita s not so easy because we have to play away in London against West Ham and it was a tough game in Manchester.
a It shall not be easy, but we want to continue. We have to win in Londona , he added.
The Manchester United manager was also quick to warn his players to not let the recent wins get to their heads, and said that even though they are being considered as favourites to lift the FA Cup this year, there still is a long way to the final and a lot of ground for improvement.
a There are still three matches to go until the final and that has to be our goal. We shall see if we reach ita , Van Gaal further explained.
a I am never satisfied. We are very good but we can improve.a