GRAEME SOUNESS is refusing to apologise for Saturday's bust-up with Saints first-team coach Dennis Rofe - and is also expecting to escape punishment from the FA.

The FA are studying a video of the fiery scenes at the end of Rovers' 2-0 defeat at St Mary's and could hit the Blackburn manager with a fine and a touchline ban after he angrily gestured at Rofe to come into the tunnel.

Souness claimed Rofe had encouraged referee Steve Bennett to show Andy Cole the red card in the 64th minute and is unrepentant about confronting the man he sacked from Saints when he was manager in 1996.

"I can't see what action the FA can take for me having a shout in the tunnel, that happens all the time," he said. "It was a bit of shouting and arguing and I will be very disappointed if they saw it any other way. There was nothing to break up, it was just shouting.

"I stand by what I said 100 per cent because you can't be encouraging the referee to show players a red card, it's not on."

Cole was red carded for raising his hands at Rory Delap and Michael Svensson and Souness says he was surprised the Rovers striker was the only one singled out by Bennett.

He said: "The general consensus seems to be that it was a sending-off offence. But we're concerned because we felt that Andy wasn't the only one that deserved to be punished.

"If you go back to the first challenge by (Neil) McCann on Barry Ferguson, that seemed like a bookable offence."

Bennett confirmed the flare-up between Souness and Rofe would be unlikely to make his report which the FA was receiving today.

He is, however, studying video evidence of the melee involving Cole before deciding if the actions of other players from either side deserve punishment.

Gordon Strachan, Rofe and the players were yesterday refusing to comment further on the incident.