Sir Alex Ferguson banned Man Utd from competing in pre-season tournament after controversial Wayne Rooney incident

Sir Alex Ferguson put his foot down and declared that Manchester United would never take part in the Amsterdam Tournament again after Wayne Rooney was involved in a controversial incident.

Back in the summer of 2006, United continued their pre-season preparations with a trip to the Netherlands as they came up against Porto and Ajax in the annual Amsterdam Tournament.

They would eventually win the competition, but their success was overshadowed by an incident in the opening game against Porto, when Wayne Rooney was controversially dismissed by Dutch referee Ruud Bossen.

Rooney was sent off for a trailing arm that appeared to strike Porto defender Pepe, but he insisted that there was no malice in the challenge.

After the full-time whistle, a furious Ferguson made a promise to organisers of the pre-season tournament. "We will not be playing in the Amsterdam tournament again, you can bet your life on that," he said.

"In these situations it is down to the referee. You hope common sense is going to prevail. Instead he has reported it, then it has gone through the official channels and the FA has decided to take it up."

He added: "We have the players to cover and there is nothing we can do about it now. We are disappointed but we just have to get on with it - that is the nature of our club."

United made an attempt to appeal the decision but after an independent disciplinary commission upheld Bossen's decision, Rooney was banned for three matches against Charlton, Watford and Tottenham.

"I'm gutted with that decision,'' Rooney told The Sun. "I'm extremely disappointed to miss any games over that. It was the wrong decision to send me off. I never want to miss a game and certainly not for a harsh decision like that."

He added: "You only have to look at the video to see I only had eyes for the ball."

Rooney was sent off for a trailing arm that appeared to strike Pepe. Image credit: Getty

Much to the fury of Sir Alex Ferguson, Rooney was handed a three-match ban. Image credit: Getty

Rooney bemoaned the state of officiating, and claimed he would not change the way he played.

''Unfortunately, football is getting more and more where you cannot touch an opponent," he added. "You see red cards now that would not even be fouls in years gone by. It's disappointing the way it has gone, but you have to get on with it."

''The way I play football will not change," he added. "I'm determined. I want to win every ball and every challenge I go into."

Three years later, the Amsterdam Tournament was abolished.