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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2015 20 Sport SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL I wanted Pep as successor not 'chosen one' Moyes - Ferguson Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson reveals that David Moyes was not his first pick to replace him ALEX Ferguson has revealed that David Moyes, the man chosen as his managerial successor at Man- chester United, was sixth on a list of ideal replacements headed by Pep Guardiola and four others, who were all "unavailable" at the time. In his new book "Leading", United's longest-serving manager outlines the selection process be- hind Moyes' ill-fated appointment at Old Trafford, which lasted less than a year after he replaced the retired Ferguson in 2013. "I asked Pep to phone me before he accepted an offer from another club but he didn't and wound up joining Bayern Munich in July 2013," Ferguson wrote. "When we started the process of looking for my replacement, we established that several very desir- able candidates were unavailable. "It became apparent that Jose Mourinho had given his word to Roman Abramovich that he would return to Chelsea, and that Carlo Ancelotti would succeed him at Real Madrid. "We also knew that Jurgen Klopp was happy at Borussia Dortmund and would be signing a new con- tract. Meantime, Louis van Gaal had undertaken to lead the Dutch attempt to win the 2014 World Cup," he added. Moyes was sacked after 10 months at United but Ferguson defended his fellow Scot's record prior to joining the club. "We chose David Moyes. He had been consistent in his job at Ever- ton, had a good spell there -- 11 years and showed appetite. "Unfortunately, somehow it didn't work out for David. The process was perfect. It was a good process," Ferguson said. Instead, the former United manager reserved his criticism for Moyes' decision to overhaul his backroom staff after taking charge. "I'm sure there are things that David would do differently if he had the opportunity to relive his time at Old Trafford," Ferguson said. "Such as keeping Mick Phelan (Ferguson's assistant), who would have been the invaluable guide to the many layers of the club that Ryan Giggs is to Louis van Gaal today. "There is no point suddenly changing routines that players are comfortable with. It is coun- terproductive, saps morale and immediately provokes players to question the new man's motives," he added. Alex Ferguson and David Moyes Costa banned for three games CHELSEA striker Diego Costa has been banned for three matches after a charge of violent conduct during Saturday's 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge was upheld. Costa had denied a Football As- sociation charge over the incident, not seen by referee Mike Dean, in which he appeared to raise his hands to Gunners defender Lau- rent Koscielny. An FA statement read: "An FA charge against Diego Costa for vio- lent conduct not seen by the match officials but caught on video has been found proven following an Independent Regulatory Commis- sion hearing. "The Chelsea forward will, there- fore, serve the standard penalty of a three-match suspension with immediate effect. "The charge, which the player denied, was in relation to an inci- dent involving Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny in the 43rd minute of the game on Saturday [19 Septem- ber 2015]." Earlier on Tuesday, Arsenal de- fender Gabriel won an appeal against his red card for confront- ing Costa after the initial incident. The FA announced in a separate statement that it had accepted Ar- senal's challenge to the decision and withdrawn the three-match suspension. Gabriel still faces a separate charge of improper conduct for his reaction after being shown the red card by referee Dean. The FA statement read: "Arse- nal's claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Gabriel has been upheld following an independent regulatory commission hearing. "The player's three-match sus- pension has, therefore, been with- drawn with immediate effect. "Gabriel was dismissed for vio- lent conduct during the game against Chelsea on Saturday [19 September 2015]. "The player is currently subject to a separate FA charge of improp- er conduct in relation to Saturday's game and has until 6pm on Thurs- day [24 September 2015] to reply." Gabriel, however, could still be sanctioned for failing to immedi- ately leave the pitch following his red card, as the player tried to then confront Costa before being re- strained by his team-mates. The FA also charged both Chel- sea and Arsenal for failing to con- trol their players. Diego Costa of Chelsea is shown a yellow card by referee Mike Dean