Views from around the web – Nani red card

For an in depth analysis of the match you can read our article here; while the gif of the Nani red card can be also be viewed on our website.

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Roy Keane ” “I think the referee has actually made the right call. Everyone’s upset about it and it’s slightly unlucky, but it’s dangerous play. Whether he meant it or not is irrelevant. It’s dangerous play – it’s a red card.”

SB Nation: Harsh but fair…We might want him to decide that Nani’s kick comes within the yellow shaded area of the spectrum – with the red starting immediately afterwards, perhaps – but if he (“harshly”) deems it to be within the outer reaches of the red, well then we (and Nani) are screwed. Harsh, similarly, does not mean wrong.

Dermot Gallagher (retired referee): “I can’t reiterate enough that he [Nani] is watching the ball over his shoulder, there was no malice in him. At worst it was a yellow for dangerous play, but if I was refereeing that game I cannot see by what stretch of the imagination I would have sent him off for that.”

David Moyes: I am looking from a manager’s point of view and Manchester United have had a hard time tonight. I think they have a right to surround the referee. The decision was poor and it has cost them the biggest prize in football.

Wow. A ridiculous decision from the Turkish referee at Old Trafford. Yellow card yes, red never! Nani was watching the ball… @cnnfc

— Pedro Pinto (@pedrocnn) March 5, 2013

Never a red card. — Vincent Kompany (@VincentKompany) March 5, 2013

That was a very harsh decision!! Actually, I don’t think it was red… — Gaizka Mendieta (@GaizkaMendieta6) March 5, 2013

No, I don’t think Nani is guilty of brutality either. Just saying what the ref apparently thought. Law 12, full PDF on FIFA’s website.

— Iain Macintosh (@iainmacintosh) March 5, 2013

Unbelievably harsh red card. Rotten decision

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 5, 2013

I watched the game with Souness and Macmanaman. Me and Macca thought it wasn’t a Red but Souness thought it was. — michael owen (@themichaelowen) March 6, 2013

One of the lads also called a well known Premier League Ref who also said it was a definite Red Card. Again, I don’t think it was. — michael owen (@themichaelowen) March 6, 2013

Football’s problem is that there is nothing between yellow (meaningless) and red (game changing) in terms of punishment

— Jeremy Wilson (@JWTelegraph) March 5, 2013

A joke decision. Awful refereeing. He had time and still made a mess.

— John Brewin (@JohnBrewinESPN) March 5, 2013

Harsh on United. Thought Modric made the difference when he came on. Giggs 1000 games… #legend — Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) March 5, 2013

@reddevildreams yes. RVP offside really tough to spot. But Nani + Rafael big incorrect decisions. — Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) March 5, 2013

Nani did not have intention to do damage. Yellow would have been enough

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) March 5, 2013

Otherwise, thought Ferguson got his tactics absolutely spot on and was hugely unlucky with the red card.

— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) March 5, 2013

@yazpants The laws definitely allow for his decision. No way will his assessors punish him. Just a shame, spoiled the contest. Feel for Utd

— Graham Hunter (@BumperGraham) March 5, 2013

Whether you thought Nani’s foul was yellow or red (yellow for me), surprised how many observers thought ‘intent’ matters. (It doesn’t.)

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 6, 2013

Now Nani sent off for what ref Cuneyt Cakir regarded as dangerous play. High challenge with Arbeloa but harsh. Man Utd & Ferguson enraged

— Phil McNulty (@philmcnulty) March 5, 2013

Important point: there are degrees of dangerous play. Not every dangerous tackle is an automatic red.

— raphael honigstein (@honigstein) March 5, 2013

Morning all. Been going to OT since age of 5 and I’ve never seen the whole ground as in disbelief as they were last night at a decision!

— G.Neville (@GNev2) March 6, 2013