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However, they should have had a
player sent off just a few minutes after the Nani incident when a goal bound
effort was blocked on the line by the arm of United full back Rafael.
Had Cuneyt Cakir merely cautioned
Nani and dismissed Rafael then United fans would have felt hard done by - but
not cheated as they did with the dismissal of Nani.
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The Portuguese winger challenged for
the ball with a raised foot and only had eyes for the ball but caught Alvaro
Arbeloa. It looked like dangerous play and at worst a yellow card.
Cakir stood and waited for Nani to
get up as he appeared to be injured from the challenge.
It is said that the best referees
avoid surprises – this referee clearly does not agree with that and shocked the
entire crowd at Old Trafford.
However, I understand that the
protection of players and ensuring their safety is drummed into UEFA referees
at all seminars and with Pierluigi Collina, the European referees’ chief,
sitting in the stand, Cakir will have felt enormous pressure to follow those
guidelines.
Those elite UEFA referees watching
will not have been surprised at the red card but the English ones would
acknowledge they would not have dismissed a player for the same offence in a
Premier League game.
Former United midfielder Roy Keane,
analysing the incident, supported the red card and the more you watch the
incident the more you can see why the Turkish referee decided that the red card
was the appropriate sanction.
So, had Cakir been advised to
dismiss Rafael as well, then Manchester United would have had just nine players
and faced a penalty.
Cakir was having a superb game. He
was almost faultless in the first half and despite the debate of the Nani red
card he continued refereeing consistently through the game and would, I expect,
be congratulated by UEFA on his performance.
Unlike Rio Ferdinand, who could well
face a charge for his sarcastic applauding in the face of Cakir after the final
whistle.
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| Ferdinand Applauded in the refree's face after final whistle |
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Frustrated Patrice Evra
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Nani's controversial dismissal at
Old Trafford on Tuesday has shades of another decision which will make
Manchester United fans wince.
Rafael, who Sportsmail's
Graham Poll believes was fortunate to last the course of United's clash with
Real Madrid on Tuesday, was red-carded at Old Trafford in 2010 after picking up
two bookings in a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich.
United were cruising before Rafael
pulled Franck Ribery back in the 50th minute, picking up his second booking.
Arjen Robben's wonderfully struck volley put the tie at 3-2 to United on the
night, 4-4 on aggregate.
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| Arjen Robben's Celebrating a goal at Old Trafford |
Bayern progressed on away goals and,
like on Tuesday night, Ferguson was furious with referee Nicola Rizzoli's
decision, claiming the official had been influenced by the Bundesliga side's
players when they surrounded the Italian.
He said after that game: 'They got
him sent off. There's no doubt about that and they would have never won if we
had 11 men. He [Rafael] is a young boy, inexperienced and there's a bit of
immaturity about what happened but they got him sent off. Typical Germans.
'That sending off changed the game.
I thought they were typical professionals in the way they saw the opportunity
and forced the referee. It was only a slight tug at the boy and, Jesus, he was
35 yards from goal.'
My Finding on yesterday's UEFA Champoins League game : Manchester United vs Real Madrid
