Fergie fury over Ball stamp on Ronaldo

Ball seems certain to face FA disciplinary action after referee Rob Styles missed the assault in the second minute of City's 1-0 defeat, which left an ugly scar on Ronaldo's stomach.

At the time, Ferguson launched a furious tirade at the assistant referee closest to the United dug-out.

However, it was only when he got home later on that he fully appreciated what Ball had done.

"They told me at the time the lad had stamped on him but it wasn't until the night time I actually saw what he did," said Ferguson.

"I could not believe it. I don't know what got into him. It was the first minute of the game. I don't know if it was instructions, or he was hyped up. It was incredible.

"The game has changed since the 1960s, when there was a lot of really vicious tackling but you don't see that kind of thing nowadays. Cameras are everywhere."

Football Association disciplinary chiefs will decide tomorrow whether Ball should be hit with the charge of serious foul play for his actions.

Officials from the FA's compliance department are likely to either charge the Manchester City player with violent conduct or serious foul play.

The latter carries a stiffer punishment and was the charge brought against Ben Thatcher after his elbow assault on Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes which led to an eight-match ban.

FA disciplinary chiefs will tomorrow view television footage of the incident, which happened during Saturday's Manchester derby, and a disciplinary hearing is likely to take place on Thursday.

An apparent headbutt by Fulham's Michael Brown on Liverpool's Xabi Alonso will also be investigated tomorrow, it was confirmed today.

An FA spokesman said: "We will look at the television footage of the incidents tomorrow and ask the officials what action they would have taken had they seen the incidents, and any charges will be based on that."

If charges are announced tomorrow, the players will have until Wednesday to respond and under the fast-track system a disciplinary hearing would take place on Thursday.

Referee Rob Styles missed Ball's stamp two minutes into the Manchester derby and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described it later as "a really bad challenge", while City boss Stuart Pearce said he would review the incident.

Alonso was left with a bloody nose after the clash with Brown and Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said: "It was clear and everybody saw it."