The sad news broke on Friday afternoon of the death of Cathy Ferguson, wife of legendary Manchester United manager Alex, at 84.
The Fergusons were married in 1966, and had three sons together during their 57 years of marriage.
Both were born and raised in Glasgow, and their respective religions were a point of contention at the outset of their relationsip, with Alex coming from a Protestant family, and Cathy coming from a Catholic family.
Speaking in a 2021 documentary, Ferguson said he regrets not telling a Rangers director to "fuck off" when quizzed about his wife Cathy's religion upon signing for the club in 1967.
Remembering Alex Ferguson's fury at Rangers question about his wife
Ferguson joined Rangers from Dunfermline, fulfilling a boyhood dream, and spent two years at Ibrox before being moved on to Falkirk.
"Glasgow is a city where there is a divide. It’s Protestant and Catholic, Rangers and Celtic," Fergie says in 'Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In', a documentary which premiered in 2021.
"I heard Rangers wanted to sign me and of course having supported Rangers as a boy and having lived 200 yards from the ground I was pretty excited about it.
"I put on my best suit and went across to Ibrox. The big marble hall, it’s quite impressive.
"When I signed for Rangers, one of the directors asked me about Cathy.
"He says, ‘I have to ask you a question about your wife. I believe she is Catholic, were you married in a chapel?’.
"I said, ‘No we got married in the registry office,’ and he says, ‘Oh, that’s OK’.
"I should have told him to fuck off.
"I really should have but having supported Rangers as a boy and having the opportunity to go out and play for Rangers, you are prepared to take nonsense.
"I let myself down there and I let my wife down – that was the most important thing – because she was a devout Catholic."
Editorial credit: Melinda Nagy / Shutterstock.com
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