Sir Alex Ferguson has been handed a four-match ban, two of which will be suspended, and fined £20,000 for his comments made about the referee Alan Wiley last month.

The Manchester United manager has also been warned about his future conduct after he met with an FA regulatory commission to explain his claims that Wiley was not physically fit enough to referee, which were made following United's 2-2 draw with Sunderland.

Ferguson will now be forced to watch United's next two matches from the stands, at home to Everton and away to Portsmouth, while the suspended sanction will be automatically activated should Ferguson be found guilty of a similar charge before the end of the 2010-11 season on top of any sanction imposed for that offence.

The commission's chairman, Peter Griffiths QC, said after the hearing: "Each member of the commission recognised Sir Alex Ferguson's achievements and stature within the game. Having said that, it was made clear to Sir Alex that with such stature comes increased responsibilities.

"The commission considered his admitted remarks, in the context in which they were made, were not just improper but were grossly improper and wholly inappropriate. He should never have said what he did say."