Champions League red cards.

[Gromit]

I smell a rat.

Fletcher gets red card (wrongly) and UEFA say there is no way it can be rescinded, the referees decision is final.

24 hours later Abidal sent off for Barca (wrongly) and suddenly Uefa general secretary David Taylor is saying Sir Alex Ferguson could challenge the decision.
"The likelihood is we'd refer it to our disciplinary body.

Do you think Fletcher and Abidal will both now get their red cards rescinded?




http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams /m/man_utd/8037362.stm

[Haggisdj]

I think that justice would be done they are both available to play in the final.

Red cards can be overturned in domestic competitions but not at European level. Does anyone feel that this is just laziness on the part of UEFA, that they just can't be bothered to hold the appeals?

[paraffin]

It's just been announced that Man U have written to UEFA appealing against Fletcher's red card on "compassionate grounds" (definition unknown!).
Sadly for Fletcher it was a perfectly legitimate refereeing decision which, if overturned, would set a precedent and open such a can of worms, where would it end?

As for Abidal, he'd been "asking" to be cautioned throughout
the game and was fortunate not to be red carded. His ban should not be overturned either.

When players transgress the laws of the game and are punished accordingly, why should they then be exonerated just because the game they're missing happens to be a CL Final. Shouldn't they have considered that before committing the foul(s)?

Some footballers don't seem to have the brains they were born with!

[MrBounty]

As video replays show, Fletcher's sending off wasn't just.

If you watch from where the ref was situated, you can see the ball changing direction - he should have conferred with the linesmen on this, instead of just lashing out with a red card.
Fletcher got the the ball before the player and, yes, the governing bodies should be willing to accept appeals, especially if it's clear as day that the ref got the decision wrong.

Everyone makes mistakes and this was clearly one of them.

I dont think it'll open up any can of worms - it will mean that UEFA and / or FIFA will need to accept that they should allow for appeals.