FOLLOWING LAST NIGHT’S match between Manchester United and Real Madrid, there was one moment that dominated the thoughts of every football fan, pundit and player involved.
The moment in question constituted a cruel blow to a Manchester United team that had operated with the utmost level of efficiency until then, establishing a one-goal lead against their illustrious opponents.
The level of debate it prompted was epitomised by the fact that even two people with experience of officiating big games – Graham Poll and Dermot Gallagher – were somewhat at odds over whether Cuneyt Cakir was correct in sending off Luis Nani in the 56th minute – a pivotal decision that turned the match in Madrid’s favour ultimately.
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Writing for the Daily Mail, Poll suggested he could understand why the decision was implemented. Gallagher, on the other hand, appeared to be completely flabbergasted by the red card, telling the BBC: “I cannot see what stretch of the imagination where I would have sent Nani off for that.”
Of the two though, Gallagher’s comments seem the more unreasonable. Even if he didn’t agree that it was a sending off, he should surely acknowledge that player safety is now paramount in the game – a fact that presumably led the referee to take such an unexpected action.
One person, for whom there was no ambiguity of the challenge’s severity though, was Roy Keane. The former Ireland international rubbished the notion that Nani should have been let off because his foul was unintentional, telling fellow ITV pundit Gareth Southgate:
“You’re saying he wasn’t aware of the player – you have to be aware of other footballers on the pitch. Does he think he’s going to have 20 yards to himself?”
And surely, in this instance, Keane has a point. After all, players are often sent off for flailing elbows, regardless of whether or not they’re deliberate. So why should this case be any different?
Replays suggest Nani probably was going for the ball, and that there was no malice meant, but the same can be said for many red cards in football – a bad challenge does not have to be premeditated in order for it to warrant a red.
Granted, Nani’s kick was different to De Jong’s – it undoubtedly did not inflict the same level of pain as the Dutchman’s infringement resulted in. However, the two incidents were, at the very least, equally clumsy and avoidable.
Players should know by now that leaping off the ground with one foot raised, when unaware of who is in the vicinity, is endangering your opponent. In those situations, winning the ball should always be of secondary concern to the welfare of the opposition player. The type of flying kicks executed by De Jong and Nani can result in serious injury – so, it is essential that the referees do everything in their power to stamp them out of the game.
Accordingly, it is the referee’s responsibility to protect the players first and foremost in every way possible. By taking such a harsh-but-necessary action, Cakir has ensured that such incidents will take place less frequently, and that the sport will be safer to play as a whole. More often now, footballers will think twice before opting to jump recklessly with their feet high in the air, when unaware even of their basic surroundings, potentially causing serious harm in the process.
Therefore, any suggestion that the referee somehow favoured Madrid is purely wishful thinking on the part of United advocates. Indeed, he awarded a number of contentious incidents in the home club’s favour, both before and after the Nani incident, so such theories bear little credibility.
Instead of judging Cakir with unwarranted scorn, United fans should instead acknowledge that the majority of the blame for their loss lies with two Portuguese wingers – Nani, for his naive, senseless and impulsive offence, and Cristiano Ronaldo, for once again proving the match winner, popping up at the optimal moment, as he invariably does. Of the latter incident at least, there is a genuine consensus.
Agreed it was harsh.
Im a United fan, and credit to them, the football they played in the first half was tactically and technically some of the best Id seen from United in years.
However, in the period in which RM scored the two goals United went to pieces, looking like nobody had a blind clue what to do in the event of a sending off, and just as bad, looking like the manager had no contingency plan for the obvious introduction of Modric in the circumstances.
After sleeping on it, its clear that teams like United, Barca, Madrid and Dortmund can play this kind of uninhibited football only because generally, player protection has been implemented by referees over the course of time, and that prohibits ozzie rules style airborne, studs first attempts to connect with the ball.
There will come a time when no player will try this.
Hard on Nani, who was great up to that point, and hard on United.
But true.
I thought it was my wife’s fault. She was hoovering at the time and knocked against the TV when the Madrid player went down! Don’t worry, I gave her a red card!!
Funny you say that, just before the match my wife accidentally turned off my computer in the middle of a large piece of work I’d been doing for hours and things went downhill from there. We’re still not talking :((
Yes. But shouldn’t Madrid have had a goal in the first half? You can argue and argue and we’ll all have different opinions and get nowhere. If Rafa was here he’d simply say “united are out”. FACT
No they shouldnt. Ramos clearly fouled vidic in the challenge before the ball was in the net. Not disputin that the nani incident wasnt a foul but it was a booking at most.
Ah here ur just trying to stir loads of Anti United Sentiment for the sake of it . Booking at worst. There was zero intent and everybody could see that Nani went for the ball first and tried to drag it down. It was a terrible decision and a fair response from the ref would have been a yellow card. And as for Keane well it’s obvious he has no time for United now hence his quickness to take the alternative view. Sorry lads no matter who you support you have to recognise the passion of Ferguson. Man will be dragged out of Old Trafford in a coffin. Keane will never amount to more than a controversial pundit now. Great player. No common sense though.
I’m no Roy Keane fan since he let his country down, but a former United captain and golden boy disagrees with the United faithful and he’s a bum. Typical United “We were robbed”. If it was the other way round the real player would be in the dock this morning. Unreal.
Hughie have you ever played in a team? , even if the disgruntled Keane was right which he is not, he is an ex -man Utd captain and youd expect some degree of loyalty ,would you expect, Lampard , Gerrard or any loyal club man to say their man should have been sent off if it was their club when their player cleary showed no intent to injure and in fact did not injure the player ??? Every time you go in for a head you could split soemone open , potentailly should it be banned ?God help Sport .And on Keane i can say hoesntly as a Man U Fan at the time of the Hangaland tackle/assuault he should have been charged with GBH and banned for life . But my main disdain for the man was for letting his country down and being a world class camrea loving spoofer!
But I bet you didn’t say those things at the time! Feet up you’re off that’s the way if it in Europe! Michael Owen has supported Keane’s view this morning.
What level of football did u play cause that seems to be all your going on about. If only people who have played the game are allowed to have an opinion then surely goin by ur argument Roy Keane’s point of view counts for more than yours seen as he played at a higher level than you unless your maradonna in disguise??
No malice in it at all, he had his eyes fixed firmly on the ball.
Was it reckless though? Dangerous? Yes.
So with that the minimum he should have received was a yellow and with the ref seeing it only once without the benefit of replay i can understand why he thought red was more appropriate.
Ref certainly did not deserve the BS fergie rio and co gave him.
Oh dear! This is all so tiresome and pathetic. We all know if one of the RM players had committed the same foul the MU fans would be baying for blood. It’s all so symptomatic of a game played by overrated, namby pamby, self indulgent prima donnas, managed by loutish, narcissistic managers and watched by fans who are being systematically having their pockets picked by shyster owners. Get over it for chrissake!
Controversial or not, it was a yellow card- where was the intent, Nani went to take the ball down didn’t see Arbaloa coming – for all the crap about it – it was a Yellow card and no more- it ruined the game .
If he didn’t think there was anyone there why was he risking injury with his acrobatics. Poor judgement by Nani and one that United didn’t get away with. Simply as that. Take it on the chin.
It changed the game alright but no one is talking about Madrids good goal ruled out in the the first half so utd still would have needed two goals to win it..
@Karl – The game came alive when United scored. The sending off ruined it as a contest between two fine teams who were really going for it. The whole shape of the game changed.
@brian I can’t remember a team being camped in their own half for so long after going a man down. Utd were absolutely terrible in the 20 minutes that followed. The gulf in class really showed. Ferguson got his tactics and selections all wrong too. It’s all too easy to blame the ref. Utd need to take a long look at themselves and their shortcomings.
@Karl – You must have watched a different game to me. Ferguson got his tactics and selections all wrong? They were winning 1-0 by the time of the red card! How did he get it wrong?
Admittedly, they folded too easily after the card but you could see the players all thought it was a shocking decision. Their heads were messed up, they were punch drunk. But what happened after that was nothing to do with Ferguson’s tactics and selections, which were spot on.
Don’t you just love the arrogance of that first comment; ABU or know nothing about the game. When you see so called fans coming out with crap like that it’s no wonder Utd aren’t getting much sympathy. Nani’s sending off was very harsh in my opinion, but you would swear it was the end of the end of the world the way some dopes here are reacting to it.
As a United fan I have to admit it was a very clumsy thing to do from a very clumsy player and at the very least he deserved a yellow so I can understand the red
It was a foul. It was dangerous play. It was not intentional, but that does not come into it. IMO it was a yellow card for being stupid, but the ref felt it was a red. Maybe slightly harsh, but hardly beyond the realms of possibility considering. The reaction of some fans is a bit OTT. Headlines of being robbed? Come off it. Sometimes in football you see fouls that look like red cards and only get yellow. Other times you see fouls that look like yellow but they get red. It was a foul. It was dangerous………..now get over it………..
Always the ever present sense of entitlement with United fans. Twenty years of mind blowing success is still not enough for their sorry arses. If they could, by any stretch of the imagination, show any sporting mettle in the face of a loss, then other non-Utd fans might show them a little more respect.
How on earth could you even begin to compare what Nigel do Jong did with Nani , has any of you played even 5 a Side . The Ball had gone over his head so heading wasnt an option but he watched the flight and claerly thought and has the skill to control it . Is he supposed to say ,hold on a second there maybe another player in close proximity i better not try to win the ball in case i may hurt someone in one of the biggest game of his career! What about Arbola being even on the pitch after a real red card tackle and what about his repsonsibility to not go for ball in which he might be husrt considering he had the view and was running onto the ball , he has the right to challange and Nani dosent ?|Nonsese piece!
Looking at this from as fair minded a point of view as possible one would have to say that any player who tries to control a ball that is coming over his head by jumping with his outstretched foot raised as high as possible is likley to be in trouble. The laws of the game are quite clear that this is dangerous and reckless play. The sanction for that is a sending off. The defence that his eye was on the ball and therefore it was not intentional is also a bit of a red herring. If that was a legitimate excuse then you could say that about almost any bad tackle and not face punishment.
All of that said, given the spirit that the game was played in one would have to say that the sending off was harsh but certainly justifable under the laws of the game. The real question that ManU fans need to answer is why they lost their shape so badly and conceded so much ground to Real in the immediate aftermath. I don’t like him, but I have to say that it would not have happened in Roy Keane’s day.
My God , why would they lose their Shape? mmm , well playing against one of the best footballing teams in the world who immeditley pulled of a full back and put on a 38 million pound attacking midfielder all of which was faciliated by the sending off , that migh answer it ! it was not in anyway reckless he stuck out leg to control a ball and the guy who should not have been on the pitch for a cowardly kick to the thigh had the full view coming onto the ball competed regardless . To hell with football ,your right it too dangerous , i was going to say subutteo but it hard on the finger and if you flick to hard you might take an eye out , omg if you gusy were refs , we’d have 5 players at the end of every game . i dont mind the ABU , it your anti sport that get me !
I stand by my comments that the card was harsh but justified under the laws of the game. I think that your argument is undermined by the fact that you feel that the Real player should be sent off for what you feel is dangerous play and that a Man U player should not be. Hardly a balanced view.
With regard to how Man U lost their shape in the immediate aftermath in the game that I watched they defended very deeply immediately afterwards lost two goals and then took the game to Real for the remaining 20 minutes or so. I simply feel that if they had organised themselves immediately they could have at least drawn the game.
Clearly you have nailed your colours to the mast in who you support and as a supporter of Man U you feel that unless every decision goes your way that the referee is going to be wrong.
Tensing that’s the most sensible comment I’ve seen on this topic yet on any forum, and b4 all the red thumbers get going I’m as anti Manu as anyone… Terrible decision and detracted from what was shaping up to b a fantastic finale to the game.
So we can expect a red card for every bicycle kick attempt in future. 2 feet of the ground looking at the ball but unaware of other players trying to head and defend it.
Well actually yes! If you make contact with another player in such circumstances the referee is entitled to deem it as dangerous, reckless play and could issue a red or yellow card. If by some feat of contortion you mange to do so and make contact with studs showing then a red card is almost certainly going to be the outcome.
So by that argument John should Lopez of been sent off for missing the ball and punching nemanja in the face from a corner. Nemanja clearly wins the ball and is clattered by the keeper who was late!!!
The difference is in the roles of the players. A goalkeeper is entitled to raise his hands to or above head height to attempt to catch or punch the ball. Clearly the referee did not feel that his punch was reckless or that the attempt was dangerous to another player as the ball was winnable. An outfield player is not allowed challenge for a ball with his feet off the ground and studs showing, in the case of Nani’s challenge the referee decided that he was unlikely to win the ball and his attempt to do so was reckless and endangered another player.
John, the goalkeeper missed the ball and punched vidic, foul and red card!
Disappointed the way utd dealt with the sending off but fair play to Madrid. They knew they had to strike before utd reorganised.
@johnclarke: that’s bs in fairness. It was okay for Lopez to punch Vidic because the ball was winnable? Love how you’ve just made up a new rule. Dangerous play is dangerous play so by the same token if Nani was sent off, Lopez should have been aswell. And Nani’s attempt wasn’t a challenge, nor could it be considered winnable when he clearly thought in his head that he was just trying to bring down and control the ball. This all goes back to the complete mess uefa and fifa have made of football rules. It’s the only sport in the world where so much is left up to interpretation.
To all the united fans saying it wasn’t a red card, I wonder would they be saying the same if Suarez or tevez committed a similar foul on a united player?
All that’s needed is fairness. Arbeloa’s tackle on Evra? In first half was much worse – very clearly raking down his thigh, foot up studs showing and absolute intent as ball was gone. If he stayed on, so should have Nani. Was shaping up for a great match.
dangerous play = red card, doesn’t matter if he didn’t mean to catch Arbeloa, he launched his foot at a dangerous height, if a player had to go for that ball with his head it wouldn’t have been very pretty at all, so it’s dangerous play not malicious and by sending players off for this offence you are discouraging players from going for the ball like this which means we are lot less likely to see a player gettin badly hurt like Arbeloa would have if he went with his head which means all in all it was the right decision
Dont know what utd fans are bleating on about! The higuain goal was perfectly valid as ramos did not foul van persie as shown in the replay and it should have been a penalty to madrid as raphael clearly handled the ball in another incident.
No sense of entitlement from me, who knows if we’d have won with 11v11 but would we have capitulated so easily? Doubtful.
It’s just hard to stomach when it seemed the tactics were spot on only for, what I perceive, to be a harsh decision to swing the tie so readily and quickly.
Maybe Madrid would have come back or maybe it would have went to extra time but they would have had to work a lot harder for it.
For those who believe in the “eye on the ball” defence of Nani take a look at Jason McAteer’s red card for Ireland against Macedonia. His eyes never left the ball but it would be hard to argue against the redcard
Well said! All the above bleating is straight out of the Bill Shankly ‘ Football is more important than life or death’ school of thought. No doubt many man hours of productive work will be lost today by mindless idiots standing around coffee machines discussing the tribulations of a foreign football team.
Nani was off the ground with his studs showing and made contact with the other player.Whether there was intent or not is irrelevant,the ref seen it once and had to make his decision based on that.In my opinion it was a harsh decision but i can understand why the ref made it.If i were a utd fan i would be more annoyed by how it took utd 20mins to react to the sending off
There would not be half this controversy over this incident if anyone other than Roy Keane made his statement . Rot Keane does not bow to the court of public opinion and he ‘calls it as he see’s it ‘ . His opinion has nothing to do with his past experiences as a Manchester United Player but it has to do with his experience as a footballer .
This country really loves to knock their own ! This is a man who led Ireland and Manchester United to victory on many an occasion but all that is soon forgotten . Until Roy Keane took over the captaincy of Ireland the fat cats of the IFA travelled to games first class while the team travelled in ordinary seats . He walked away from a World Cup not because he did not get his own way but because his team were not getting the best facilities . He expects his team mates to be given the best tools to win games . He expects nothing from others than he does not expect of himself ! A pity there are not more like him !!!!!
what are you on about ? “nothing to do with his past experiences as a Manchester United ” , did he tell you that ? There is bile oozing out of the man , this country loves its knock it own ? Mick Mccarty was abused and ribbished by hater Keane when he should have shut is mouth and gone public about the FAI clowns after the tournament ,what could he have achived a week before the tournament .This is the man who man consumed by hatred and revenge for a previous slight intensioanlly ended the career of a fellow profesioanal . thanks god there is no one like him! dont suppose you’re from cork ?
Did Coloccini get sent off for kicking Ba in the face? No, he was looking at the ball the whole time and didn’t know Ba was there. Same as Nani, he didn’t know Arbeloa was there until the last second. If that’s dangerous play, then Lopez who could clearly see Vidic, came out and punched him, why isn’t that a red? And why doesn’t every overhead kick in a crowd of players result in a red card?
Should Peter Crouch have been sent off last Saturday so? After all his foot was higher than Nani’s and he definitely endangered an opponent seeing as he knocked Mattie Taylor out.
I understand rivalry and of course Abu’s will be delighted but if that was Messi who got sent off, would people be so quick to say he should go.Nani played the ball eyes on it all the time and even when he made contact his leg was at full extension, it’s not like he made contact with a push kick he barely made contact. Anyway the ref ruined a potentially great game of football.least Jose should some class.
He only showed class because he wants the united job, of all the managers that have been to united I’d say he showed the least amount of class with his antics 9 years ago celebrating a goal against them and now united fans love him… Short memories.
If you accept that a player , whose eyes were on the ball at all times deserves to be sent off having caught an opponent in the side and in the arm you are discrediting your intelligence.
The best way to sum up this tackle is from the reaction of the Madrid players. They are by far the worst offenders in the game (u can include Barca in that bracket) for chasing referees around the pitch throwing fake yellow cards like a bunch of prima donna drama queens but not one single Madrid player ran at the ref goading for blood. This and this alone will tell u it was never in a million years a sending off…
The sending off was a ridiculous decision. Nani’s first priority is always going to be gaining possession, this is a competitive sport after all. His body movement, while high, was just as dangerous as Arbeloa’s decision to lead with his full body. There is no possible grounds for foul no matter a red card. I am amazed that people are even discussing this, awful awful decision.
“The type of flying kicks executed by De Jong and Nani can result in serious injury ” according to the author. Flying kicks to the legs do a lot more damage – broken ankles\legs etc.. out for rest of season\careers ended etc. Kicks to the torso look bad that’s all. Arbeloas previous foul was the more dangerous. Players are far less likely to be stretchered off following a kick to the chest. Personally I thought it was very obviously not malicious – players leaving the ground to control balls with their feet is commonplace as are bicycle kicks.
Stunning goal by Modric and a nice finish by Ronaldo – will be supporting Real for the rest of the CL. Shame that over zealous refereeing ended ‘The World Will Stop’ game as a contest.
He didnt deserve a red! The chap was clearly going for the ball and if he hasn’t gone for the ball and let arbeloa come away with it ferguson would of ate him
Diego Lopez punched Vidic in the face when trying to clear the ball. If the argument is that you have to be aware of the possible impact of limbs on players around you then how come he didn’t get sent off too?
Sounds like Paul is a bit of an ABU. I’m neutral and that was never a red card. A yellow yes, red no. Ruined the game. Anyone i’ve heard saying it was a correct decision coincidentally doesn’t like United. Not sure if Roy Keane fits that category, I think he just likes to whinge and be different.
So where do you stand on the goalkeeper coming to punch a corner clear?
In the first half Vidic got punched in the face and i think the madrid keeper got a free out for hurting his hand, at least that is how it looked from high up the east stand!
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I hope Arbeloa will be ok, ” the boy could have been killed”
That’s twice you’ve said that
Yawn….
But Mark, do you get the reference?
Well he shouldn’t have run into Nani’s foot. He did it on purpose.
Didn’t Rvp nearly die this season according Sir Red Honker??? Take your oil and move on
No more Champions League football for United this season. They can enjoy the rest. Nani will be glad of the chance of putting his feet up.
Even Celtic outlasted United. :) But in all seriousness, it was a very harsh decision imo.
Celtic will be eliminated in the same stage as united.
Yeah I know…just trying to wind up United fans. ;)
It’s working
Don’t really care either way…as long as Celtic make some decent effort tonight, I’m happy!
In terms of time in the CL this year, Celtic are in it longer that the mancs, so AM you are right.
Agreed it was harsh.
Im a United fan, and credit to them, the football they played in the first half was tactically and technically some of the best Id seen from United in years.
However, in the period in which RM scored the two goals United went to pieces, looking like nobody had a blind clue what to do in the event of a sending off, and just as bad, looking like the manager had no contingency plan for the obvious introduction of Modric in the circumstances.
After sleeping on it, its clear that teams like United, Barca, Madrid and Dortmund can play this kind of uninhibited football only because generally, player protection has been implemented by referees over the course of time, and that prohibits ozzie rules style airborne, studs first attempts to connect with the ball.
There will come a time when no player will try this.
Hard on Nani, who was great up to that point, and hard on United.
But true.
When one is stealing a joke from another website at least make an attempt to say where you got it from. Don’t assume nobody will notice.
Ann-Marie, shouldn’t you be focusing on domestic duties rather than champions league football?
I thought it was my wife’s fault. She was hoovering at the time and knocked against the TV when the Madrid player went down! Don’t worry, I gave her a red card!!
Funny you say that, just before the match my wife accidentally turned off my computer in the middle of a large piece of work I’d been doing for hours and things went downhill from there. We’re still not talking :((
Defo red
If nani deserved a red should arbeloas studs up tackle in the first half not have warranted the same punishment?
Yes. But shouldn’t Madrid have had a goal in the first half? You can argue and argue and we’ll all have different opinions and get nowhere. If Rafa was here he’d simply say “united are out”. FACT
No they shouldnt. Ramos clearly fouled vidic in the challenge before the ball was in the net. Not disputin that the nani incident wasnt a foul but it was a booking at most.
Is there anything to be said for saying another mass?
Alll I see is sour united fans here after a bad decision went against them … Karma is a bitch alright ehhhh !!! Btw I did say bad decision !!
Ah here ur just trying to stir loads of Anti United Sentiment for the sake of it . Booking at worst. There was zero intent and everybody could see that Nani went for the ball first and tried to drag it down. It was a terrible decision and a fair response from the ref would have been a yellow card. And as for Keane well it’s obvious he has no time for United now hence his quickness to take the alternative view. Sorry lads no matter who you support you have to recognise the passion of Ferguson. Man will be dragged out of Old Trafford in a coffin. Keane will never amount to more than a controversial pundit now. Great player. No common sense though.
I’m no Roy Keane fan since he let his country down, but a former United captain and golden boy disagrees with the United faithful and he’s a bum. Typical United “We were robbed”. If it was the other way round the real player would be in the dock this morning. Unreal.
Couldnt have put it better myself
Hughie have you ever played in a team? , even if the disgruntled Keane was right which he is not, he is an ex -man Utd captain and youd expect some degree of loyalty ,would you expect, Lampard , Gerrard or any loyal club man to say their man should have been sent off if it was their club when their player cleary showed no intent to injure and in fact did not injure the player ??? Every time you go in for a head you could split soemone open , potentailly should it be banned ?God help Sport .And on Keane i can say hoesntly as a Man U Fan at the time of the Hangaland tackle/assuault he should have been charged with GBH and banned for life . But my main disdain for the man was for letting his country down and being a world class camrea loving spoofer!
But I bet you didn’t say those things at the time! Feet up you’re off that’s the way if it in Europe! Michael Owen has supported Keane’s view this morning.
Loyalty? He’s a pundit, not a lapdog. He’s paid to say what he thinks.
Actually doing it is something of a rarity on British TV, I admit.
Tensing. The ref has a split second to make his decision. It just didn’t go United way this time. They have had there fair share though.
U don’t need intent fir it to b red u need it to be dangerous and it was.
What level of football did u play cause that seems to be all your going on about. If only people who have played the game are allowed to have an opinion then surely goin by ur argument Roy Keane’s point of view counts for more than yours seen as he played at a higher level than you unless your maradonna in disguise??
No malice in it at all, he had his eyes fixed firmly on the ball.
Was it reckless though? Dangerous? Yes.
So with that the minimum he should have received was a yellow and with the ref seeing it only once without the benefit of replay i can understand why he thought red was more appropriate.
Ref certainly did not deserve the BS fergie rio and co gave him.
Rio’s sarcastic clap 6 inches from the ref’s face after the final whistle should have been punished with a card. Disgraceful behaviour.
Oh dear! This is all so tiresome and pathetic. We all know if one of the RM players had committed the same foul the MU fans would be baying for blood. It’s all so symptomatic of a game played by overrated, namby pamby, self indulgent prima donnas, managed by loutish, narcissistic managers and watched by fans who are being systematically having their pockets picked by shyster owners. Get over it for chrissake!
Spot on, and fergie pulling a hissy, what was the story there?
Marist. a real player did. Arbeloa tackle. So jog on
Controversial or not, it was a yellow card- where was the intent, Nani went to take the ball down didn’t see Arbaloa coming – for all the crap about it – it was a Yellow card and no more- it ruined the game .
It didn’t ruin the game at all. Any neutral will tell you that the game came alive after the sending off. So the opposite is true.
If he didn’t think there was anyone there why was he risking injury with his acrobatics. Poor judgement by Nani and one that United didn’t get away with. Simply as that. Take it on the chin.
You don’t understand the rules of football if you think intent needs to be there for a red card.
It changed the game alright but no one is talking about Madrids good goal ruled out in the the first half so utd still would have needed two goals to win it..
@Karl – The game came alive when United scored. The sending off ruined it as a contest between two fine teams who were really going for it. The whole shape of the game changed.
@brian I can’t remember a team being camped in their own half for so long after going a man down. Utd were absolutely terrible in the 20 minutes that followed. The gulf in class really showed. Ferguson got his tactics and selections all wrong too. It’s all too easy to blame the ref. Utd need to take a long look at themselves and their shortcomings.
Howard Webb would have sent Arbeola off and given Utd a penalty!
It was ruled out for a foul on RVP
@Karl – You must have watched a different game to me. Ferguson got his tactics and selections all wrong? They were winning 1-0 by the time of the red card! How did he get it wrong?
Admittedly, they folded too easily after the card but you could see the players all thought it was a shocking decision. Their heads were messed up, they were punch drunk. But what happened after that was nothing to do with Ferguson’s tactics and selections, which were spot on.
Comparing the two is ridiculous . And keane being controversial for the sake of it. Failed manager, bitter. I used to look up to this man..!!
What about ferguson pulling a hissy fit. I’ve never seen a manager do that before. He hasnt done his rep any favours.
Really? You’ve never seen a manager lose his temper? Have you watched football before last night?
Never seen wenger losing it ….,, wait
Kevin Keegan, Rafa (Facht) Benitez, Kenny Dalglish have all lost the cool dramatically in front of TV cameras in quite funny circumstances too….
Anyone who thinks that was a red card either knows absolutely nothing about football or is a pathetic ABU. It’s that simple.
Or is a reasonable person who just has a different opinion.
Yes, and tell me more about how utd have never benefitted from a poor referee decision? Pathetic, the lot of you’s.
Don’t you just love the arrogance of that first comment; ABU or know nothing about the game. When you see so called fans coming out with crap like that it’s no wonder Utd aren’t getting much sympathy. Nani’s sending off was very harsh in my opinion, but you would swear it was the end of the end of the world the way some dopes here are reacting to it.
As a United fan I have to admit it was a very clumsy thing to do from a very clumsy player and at the very least he deserved a yellow so I can understand the red
Nanis an inconsistent player who often does wildly frustrating things, but he’s not clumsy, if anything he is as well balanced as any player.
It was a foul. It was dangerous play. It was not intentional, but that does not come into it. IMO it was a yellow card for being stupid, but the ref felt it was a red. Maybe slightly harsh, but hardly beyond the realms of possibility considering. The reaction of some fans is a bit OTT. Headlines of being robbed? Come off it. Sometimes in football you see fouls that look like red cards and only get yellow. Other times you see fouls that look like yellow but they get red. It was a foul. It was dangerous………..now get over it………..
Always the ever present sense of entitlement with United fans. Twenty years of mind blowing success is still not enough for their sorry arses. If they could, by any stretch of the imagination, show any sporting mettle in the face of a loss, then other non-Utd fans might show them a little more respect.
How on earth could you even begin to compare what Nigel do Jong did with Nani , has any of you played even 5 a Side . The Ball had gone over his head so heading wasnt an option but he watched the flight and claerly thought and has the skill to control it . Is he supposed to say ,hold on a second there maybe another player in close proximity i better not try to win the ball in case i may hurt someone in one of the biggest game of his career! What about Arbola being even on the pitch after a real red card tackle and what about his repsonsibility to not go for ball in which he might be husrt considering he had the view and was running onto the ball , he has the right to challange and Nani dosent ?|Nonsese piece!
Looking at this from as fair minded a point of view as possible one would have to say that any player who tries to control a ball that is coming over his head by jumping with his outstretched foot raised as high as possible is likley to be in trouble. The laws of the game are quite clear that this is dangerous and reckless play. The sanction for that is a sending off. The defence that his eye was on the ball and therefore it was not intentional is also a bit of a red herring. If that was a legitimate excuse then you could say that about almost any bad tackle and not face punishment.
All of that said, given the spirit that the game was played in one would have to say that the sending off was harsh but certainly justifable under the laws of the game. The real question that ManU fans need to answer is why they lost their shape so badly and conceded so much ground to Real in the immediate aftermath. I don’t like him, but I have to say that it would not have happened in Roy Keane’s day.
My God , why would they lose their Shape? mmm , well playing against one of the best footballing teams in the world who immeditley pulled of a full back and put on a 38 million pound attacking midfielder all of which was faciliated by the sending off , that migh answer it ! it was not in anyway reckless he stuck out leg to control a ball and the guy who should not have been on the pitch for a cowardly kick to the thigh had the full view coming onto the ball competed regardless . To hell with football ,your right it too dangerous , i was going to say subutteo but it hard on the finger and if you flick to hard you might take an eye out , omg if you gusy were refs , we’d have 5 players at the end of every game . i dont mind the ABU , it your anti sport that get me !
I stand by my comments that the card was harsh but justified under the laws of the game. I think that your argument is undermined by the fact that you feel that the Real player should be sent off for what you feel is dangerous play and that a Man U player should not be. Hardly a balanced view.
With regard to how Man U lost their shape in the immediate aftermath in the game that I watched they defended very deeply immediately afterwards lost two goals and then took the game to Real for the remaining 20 minutes or so. I simply feel that if they had organised themselves immediately they could have at least drawn the game.
Clearly you have nailed your colours to the mast in who you support and as a supporter of Man U you feel that unless every decision goes your way that the referee is going to be wrong.
Kudos to you john clarke for not lowering yourself to the level of a typical ABU and yet being accuse
Tensing that’s the most sensible comment I’ve seen on this topic yet on any forum, and b4 all the red thumbers get going I’m as anti Manu as anyone… Terrible decision and detracted from what was shaping up to b a fantastic finale to the game.
So we can expect a red card for every bicycle kick attempt in future. 2 feet of the ground looking at the ball but unaware of other players trying to head and defend it.
Well actually yes! If you make contact with another player in such circumstances the referee is entitled to deem it as dangerous, reckless play and could issue a red or yellow card. If by some feat of contortion you mange to do so and make contact with studs showing then a red card is almost certainly going to be the outcome.
So by that argument John should Lopez of been sent off for missing the ball and punching nemanja in the face from a corner. Nemanja clearly wins the ball and is clattered by the keeper who was late!!!
The difference is in the roles of the players. A goalkeeper is entitled to raise his hands to or above head height to attempt to catch or punch the ball. Clearly the referee did not feel that his punch was reckless or that the attempt was dangerous to another player as the ball was winnable. An outfield player is not allowed challenge for a ball with his feet off the ground and studs showing, in the case of Nani’s challenge the referee decided that he was unlikely to win the ball and his attempt to do so was reckless and endangered another player.
Straightforward enough really.
How dare you bring common sense into a debate like this John.
John, the goalkeeper missed the ball and punched vidic, foul and red card!
Disappointed the way utd dealt with the sending off but fair play to Madrid. They knew they had to strike before utd reorganised.
@johnclarke: that’s bs in fairness. It was okay for Lopez to punch Vidic because the ball was winnable? Love how you’ve just made up a new rule. Dangerous play is dangerous play so by the same token if Nani was sent off, Lopez should have been aswell. And Nani’s attempt wasn’t a challenge, nor could it be considered winnable when he clearly thought in his head that he was just trying to bring down and control the ball. This all goes back to the complete mess uefa and fifa have made of football rules. It’s the only sport in the world where so much is left up to interpretation.
Youre forgetting gaelic football, jarlath.
The only sport in the world with no rules.
To all the united fans saying it wasn’t a red card, I wonder would they be saying the same if Suarez or tevez committed a similar foul on a united player?
All that’s needed is fairness. Arbeloa’s tackle on Evra? In first half was much worse – very clearly raking down his thigh, foot up studs showing and absolute intent as ball was gone. If he stayed on, so should have Nani. Was shaping up for a great match.
when nani was sent off fully expected to see Howard Webb come on has been utd best player for a number of seasons now
dangerous play = red card, doesn’t matter if he didn’t mean to catch Arbeloa, he launched his foot at a dangerous height, if a player had to go for that ball with his head it wouldn’t have been very pretty at all, so it’s dangerous play not malicious and by sending players off for this offence you are discouraging players from going for the ball like this which means we are lot less likely to see a player gettin badly hurt like Arbeloa would have if he went with his head which means all in all it was the right decision
Did you ever here of punctuation ?
Nigel, if you’re going to play that game: it’s “hear”.
hear, hear.
That learned me ha ha
It’s spelt ‘here’ when pronounced in a Tallaght accent Nige
Built a bridge and get over it whiskey nose if it went the other way nothing would be said……SORE LOOSERS :)
This is the word according to keano. Amen
Dont know what utd fans are bleating on about! The higuain goal was perfectly valid as ramos did not foul van persie as shown in the replay and it should have been a penalty to madrid as raphael clearly handled the ball in another incident.
Which is worse?
Losing the game last night?
Or losing Roy Keane?
http://www.football365.com/ref365/8543296/Ref365 read this, good points about the whole incident.
No sense of entitlement from me, who knows if we’d have won with 11v11 but would we have capitulated so easily? Doubtful.
It’s just hard to stomach when it seemed the tactics were spot on only for, what I perceive, to be a harsh decision to swing the tie so readily and quickly.
Maybe Madrid would have come back or maybe it would have went to extra time but they would have had to work a lot harder for it.
You obviously don’t know that much about football. Keane is only looking for a reaction. This article is ridiculous!
For those who believe in the “eye on the ball” defence of Nani take a look at Jason McAteer’s red card for Ireland against Macedonia. His eyes never left the ball but it would be hard to argue against the redcard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbvgbLnJoPM
Haha what are you on about? He raised his foot at the player, not the ball. Totally different situation. I’m guessing liverpool fan
Perspective ………. man and child found dead in shallow waters off the Galway coast.
That is tragic, but could you explain why you choose this story to post that info on?
Give it a rest, unless you’re going to go around to every single news story on the Internet to write the same.
Well said! All the above bleating is straight out of the Bill Shankly ‘ Football is more important than life or death’ school of thought. No doubt many man hours of productive work will be lost today by mindless idiots standing around coffee machines discussing the tribulations of a foreign football team.
Foreign football team? Would it make you feel better if people gathered around the water cooler discussing Cobh Ramblers or Longford Town?
They’re all as pathetic as fergie
Nani was off the ground with his studs showing and made contact with the other player.Whether there was intent or not is irrelevant,the ref seen it once and had to make his decision based on that.In my opinion it was a harsh decision but i can understand why the ref made it.If i were a utd fan i would be more annoyed by how it took utd 20mins to react to the sending off
There would not be half this controversy over this incident if anyone other than Roy Keane made his statement . Rot Keane does not bow to the court of public opinion and he ‘calls it as he see’s it ‘ . His opinion has nothing to do with his past experiences as a Manchester United Player but it has to do with his experience as a footballer .
This country really loves to knock their own ! This is a man who led Ireland and Manchester United to victory on many an occasion but all that is soon forgotten . Until Roy Keane took over the captaincy of Ireland the fat cats of the IFA travelled to games first class while the team travelled in ordinary seats . He walked away from a World Cup not because he did not get his own way but because his team were not getting the best facilities . He expects his team mates to be given the best tools to win games . He expects nothing from others than he does not expect of himself ! A pity there are not more like him !!!!!
what are you on about ? “nothing to do with his past experiences as a Manchester United ” , did he tell you that ? There is bile oozing out of the man , this country loves its knock it own ? Mick Mccarty was abused and ribbished by hater Keane when he should have shut is mouth and gone public about the FAI clowns after the tournament ,what could he have achived a week before the tournament .This is the man who man consumed by hatred and revenge for a previous slight intensioanlly ended the career of a fellow profesioanal . thanks god there is no one like him! dont suppose you’re from cork ?
http://youtu.be/jH5t58FCs3k
Zero intend here either. Eyes on the ball constantly
Yet Fergie after the game said it was completely correct for the Ref to send Eboue off.
Funny that.
They would have won anyway
Did Coloccini get sent off for kicking Ba in the face? No, he was looking at the ball the whole time and didn’t know Ba was there. Same as Nani, he didn’t know Arbeloa was there until the last second. If that’s dangerous play, then Lopez who could clearly see Vidic, came out and punched him, why isn’t that a red? And why doesn’t every overhead kick in a crowd of players result in a red card?
Not good enough and fergie got it wrong by not starting Rooney-The Truth stings
Should Peter Crouch have been sent off last Saturday so? After all his foot was higher than Nani’s and he definitely endangered an opponent seeing as he knocked Mattie Taylor out.
When I watched Roy Keane’s tirade last night, one thing struck me. He must REALLY miss Triggs.
I understand rivalry and of course Abu’s will be delighted but if that was Messi who got sent off, would people be so quick to say he should go.Nani played the ball eyes on it all the time and even when he made contact his leg was at full extension, it’s not like he made contact with a push kick he barely made contact. Anyway the ref ruined a potentially great game of football.least Jose should some class.
He only showed class because he wants the united job, of all the managers that have been to united I’d say he showed the least amount of class with his antics 9 years ago celebrating a goal against them and now united fans love him… Short memories.
Ronaldo went to see his Portugese team mate after the game and asked “Nani are you ok, are you ok, are you ok Nani?”
If you accept that a player , whose eyes were on the ball at all times deserves to be sent off having caught an opponent in the side and in the arm you are discrediting your intelligence.
The best way to sum up this tackle is from the reaction of the Madrid players. They are by far the worst offenders in the game (u can include Barca in that bracket) for chasing referees around the pitch throwing fake yellow cards like a bunch of prima donna drama queens but not one single Madrid player ran at the ref goading for blood. This and this alone will tell u it was never in a million years a sending off…
Opinion – Paul Fennessey once again shows a complete lack of understanding of football. Your opinion pieces have gotten beyond a joke at this stage.
The floor recognises Joseph McGranaghan…….
The sending off was a ridiculous decision. Nani’s first priority is always going to be gaining possession, this is a competitive sport after all. His body movement, while high, was just as dangerous as Arbeloa’s decision to lead with his full body. There is no possible grounds for foul no matter a red card. I am amazed that people are even discussing this, awful awful decision.
“The type of flying kicks executed by De Jong and Nani can result in serious injury ” according to the author. Flying kicks to the legs do a lot more damage – broken ankles\legs etc.. out for rest of season\careers ended etc. Kicks to the torso look bad that’s all. Arbeloas previous foul was the more dangerous. Players are far less likely to be stretchered off following a kick to the chest. Personally I thought it was very obviously not malicious – players leaving the ground to control balls with their feet is commonplace as are bicycle kicks.
Stunning goal by Modric and a nice finish by Ronaldo – will be supporting Real for the rest of the CL. Shame that over zealous refereeing ended ‘The World Will Stop’ game as a contest.
Keano is a bitter man.He even works on a 2nd rate TV station
Is Nani’s ‘tackle’ any worst than Arbeloa’s on Evra on the first half?? He knew exactly what he was doing!
Both players were off the ground and when that happens it probably won’t end well!! Defo a booking at most!!
He didnt deserve a red! The chap was clearly going for the ball and if he hasn’t gone for the ball and let arbeloa come away with it ferguson would of ate him
Diego Lopez punched Vidic in the face when trying to clear the ball. If the argument is that you have to be aware of the possible impact of limbs on players around you then how come he didn’t get sent off too?
depending on your viewpoint its either
a) the best nani decision since louise woodward
or
b) the worst decision since reeva steenkamp decided to go to the bathroom on valentines morning
Soccer needs a sin bin. The sending off ruined the game.
Sounds like Paul is a bit of an ABU. I’m neutral and that was never a red card. A yellow yes, red no. Ruined the game. Anyone i’ve heard saying it was a correct decision coincidentally doesn’t like United. Not sure if Roy Keane fits that category, I think he just likes to whinge and be different.
So where do you stand on the goalkeeper coming to punch a corner clear?
In the first half Vidic got punched in the face and i think the madrid keeper got a free out for hurting his hand, at least that is how it looked from high up the east stand!