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Group hug?

Alex Ferguson and the BBC finally settle their differences

Old Trafford has buried the hatchet with the BBC after seven years of silence, and will now give interviews to the corporation again.

MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER Alex Ferguson has ended his boycott of the BBC, following talks with the company’s director general Mark Thompson and BBC North director Peter Salmon.

The Scot stopped talking to the broadcaster in 2004, after it made allegations against his son Jason in a documentary entitled ‘Father and Son.’

Ferguson said at the time: “They [the BBC] did a story about my son that was whole lot of nonsense. It all made-up stuff and ‘brown paper bags’ and all that kind of carry-on. It was a horrible attack on my son’s honour and he should never have been accused of that.”

In the intervening years, Ferguson has sent a number of assistants and coaches – including Carlos Queiroz and Mike Phelan – out to face the BBC cameras for Match Of The Day, but he has now kissed and made up with the company and United can now stop paying the fines that have accrued from his lack of face time with John Motson and pals.

“Sir Alex Ferguson and the BBC have decided to put behind them the difficulties which led to Sir Alex feeling unable to appear on BBC programmes,” read a statement on both the BBC and Manchester United websites.

“This follows a meeting between Sir Alex and the BBC’s director general, Mark Thompson, and BBC North director Peter Salmon, and the issues have been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.”

Read the full statement on the official Manchester United website here >

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