Ferguson escapes ban
Alex Ferguson is possibly congratulating himself on a job well done after he was fined €10,000 by UEFA last night.
The Manchester United manager avoided a touchline ban, which was the most extreme punishment he could have received for his failure to show up for his post-match media commitments following the 2-1 Champions League defeat by Real Madrid earlier this month.
And considering how furious Ferguson was at the manner of his side’s loss, and in particular the performance of Turkish referee Cunyet Cakir and the red card Nani incurred for his foul on Arvelo Arbeloa, it is quite conceivable had he attended the briefings, he would have said something so extreme he would have been fined even more.
Instead, the relatively minor amount is likely to rule out an appeal.
Nevertheless, UEFA has backed Cakir too by upholding an automatic one-match suspension for Nani, which will rule him out of his club’s first game of next season.
The disciplinary panel decided there were no exceptional circumstances which warranted an increase in his suspension.
“Manchester United FC midfield player Nani has been suspended for one match by UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body, following the red card he received at the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg against Real Madrid CF at Old Trafford on 5 March,” a UEFA statement read.
“Manchester United head coach Alex Ferguson has been fined €10,000 for non-fulfilment of the post-match media obligations at the same match.”
