Manchester United's Card to Remember

Was it or was it not deserving of a red card? That is the question many are bantering about this week in the soccer world. Yesterday, during the 57th minute of a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between Manchester United and Real Madrid at Old Trafford in England, United midfielder Nani attempted to bring down a ball that resulted in a waist-high challenge on Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa. Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir chose to give Nani a straight red card. The complexion of the game changed after the booking, as the Red Devils' 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 defeat and elimination from Champions League play.

In my opinion, Nani should have never received a red card for his action. Nani's only intention on that particular play was to trap the ball; he didn't even notice the lurking Real Madrid defender. As a soccer player, when the ball is in the air like that, there is an instinct to either flick the ball on with the head, use the chest to bring it down or raise the foot high enough to the point where it's not endangering the opponent's upper body. The Portugese midfielder (Nani) chose to raise his foot, which I agree with, since the ball was too far for it to be either flicked on from a header or brought down with the chest. Yes, his boot was in the air, but like I said before, the intention was the ball first, not the man. What do you think? United coach Sir Alex Ferguson sure showed his fury. Check it out for yourself:

Now, hear from a United fan's perspective: (his reaction may contain some language not suitable for the youngsters...just saying)

However, Roy Keane and company had some compelling arguments about the call and were actually in favor of the Turkish referee - that he indeed had made the right decision.