Steve Bennett, a man who has had a chequered history in his dealings with Sir Alex Ferguson, was due to take charge of the powderkeg game but has been stranded in Romania due to the current flying restrictions. City were informed late yesterday afternoon Bennett would be replaced by Atkinson, who had been due to officiate at Stoke's match with Bolton. At that stage, the Blues were unaware of the reasons behind the change and contacted referee's chief Mike Riley to question why Atkinson had been given the game given he raised their hackles earlier in the season when he played an inexplicable six minutes of stoppage time during the Old Trafford encounter between the sides, allowing Michael Owen to score the last-gasp winner. As the only referee of sufficient standard to replace Bennett, who had been attending a FIFA training course, Riley felt he had little alternative, a stance City have been forced to accept, even if they are not entirely comfortable about the situation. However, at least Atkinson will not have to come into contact with Mark Hughes, who was so incensed by his timekeeping, as the Welshman has now been replaced by Roberto Mancini.
