UEFA have given their backing to Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir after Manchester United’s protests for the red card he showed Luis Nani last night.
The Portuguese midfielder was shown a straight red for a stud-high collision with Alvaro Arbeloa during Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in the Champions League Last 16 second leg.
Sir Alex Ferguson refused to speak to the media afterwards and instructed his players to do the same, whilst assistant Coach Mike Phelan spoke of the team’s disappointment at the decision.
Jose Mourinho also conceded that the challenge could have merited only a yellow card.
Even so, the competition’s governing body UEFA have backed their match official for his decision.
“We have no problem with him,” commented a spokesperson for the organisation.
“There are no issues for us regarding the sending off and we will wait for the official reports of the match delegate and the referee's observer, as is procedure. If they raise concerns then we will act.
“The referee remains on our list of officials.”
