Rooney accepts punishment for push
 |  Rooney, right, will serve a three-match English FA ban |
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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was banned for three matches on Thursday after accepting a charge of violent conduct for pushing a player in the face.
Rooney shoved Bolton's Tal Ben Haim on Sunday in an incident not seen by referee Dermot Gallagher and was charged using video evidence.
The 19-year-old England international misses Premiership game against Middlesbrough and Tottenham and the FA Cup third round tie with non-league Exeter.
United are already without injured forwards Louis Saha and Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rooney's case shows that the Football Association's new disciplinary system is "completely flawed" and "immoral," United manager Alex Ferguson said on Thursday.
Ferguson was angry that under the FA's new protocol the club could not be represented at a disciplinary hearing had Rooney chosen to fight the charge.
"The system is completely flawed," Ferguson told reporters on Thursday. "The problem for us now is we can't really appeal because we are not allowed to be represented. It is a closed session.
"So therefore they are telling you that you need not bother appealing because we're not going to win anyway.
"As we are approaching 2005, that seems to be unfair and immoral."
Ferguson also said he was bemused by the FA's decision to charge Rooney with violent conduct in the first place.
Ben Haim has also been charged with improper conduct for over-reacting. The referee took no action against either player.
"The violent conduct charge bemuses me because every man and his dog would agree it was not violent conduct," Ferguson said.
"If it is violent conduct why are they charging Ben Haim? I can't understand it. He (Ben Haim) is being charged so they therefore believe he is guilty of diving and bringing the game into disrepute."
The FA consulted widely before bringing in its new system this season which is intended to speed up the handling of disciplinary cases.
