In my previous post, I accused the football club I support, Manchester United, of what I then termed robbery, in reference to the purchase of Robin van Persie from bitter rivals, Arsenal Football Club of London.
This post will discuss – hopefully, in brief – another case of alleged robbery involving Manchester United, but this time with the Red Devils on the receiving end.
Last night, March 5th, 2013, Manchester United was defeated by two goals to one at Old Trafford, their home ground, by the visiting Real Madrid team from Spain, thus ending their participation in the UEFA Champions League competition for the 2012/13 season.
The main talking point, which has been widely termed as controversial, was a 56th minute decision by the game referee, Cuynet Cakir of Turkey, to send off Manchester United winger, Nani, for what he deemed a dangerous – reckless, even – tackle on Real’s Alvaro Arbeloa.
(You can view a rather telling gif of the incident here, incase you missed it.)
Nani sent off to an early shower
Manchester United led the game 1-0 at the time, thereby enjoying a 2-1 aggregate lead over their opponents, and were arguably the better side so far in the contest. The red card changed everything, even though there is no way to ascertain whether the outcome would have been any different if United enjoyed its full compliment of players for the duration of the game. In the link above, you can also view British newspaper headlines printed after the game, with a central theme claiming that United was ‘robbed!’
Before I proceed, let us remember that I am a Manchester United supporter but like I pointed out in my previous post, I am a football fan first, so I always side with football, regardless. Opinions have been wide spread since the incident, so here I am (a bit after-the-fact, really), jumping into the fray with mine – Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha was justifiably sent off against Real Madrid yesterday. Just watch that gif again and see for yourself.
However, here’s the rub and where most (read: Man U fans) are coming from. While it may be a justifiable sending off, you don’t send a player off in a crucial game like this! I definitely hear that argument and the Red deep down in me supports this statement (well, I did at the time, actually saying to friends, “Oh, I’m no longer watching, the ref has spoiled the game.”).
But here’s the thing… that position is very unfair to the referee, why? Because asking him alone to realize it is a crucial fixture is absurd! (Yes, I just started consecutive sentences with ‘But’ and ‘Because,’ also separating them in this tangent with the conjunction ‘and’ Apologies to every English teacher I ever had) Nani and the 21 other players on the pitch, as well as the 14 subs, coaching staff and other match officials should be fully aware of this too! You don’t channel the late Bruce Lee when trying to win a ball. WATCH THAT GIF!!! To United fans, it was an AWFUL decision, to neutrals, it was questionable and to United’s detractors, it was FANTASTIC!
However, this is not an absolute condemnation of Nani’s action. You can blame it on the adrenalin rush that we mere individuals cannot completely understand – playing in front of 80,000 screaming fans against one of the biggest clubs in the world, who field the most expensive player on the planet, who just happens to be an ex-teammate and countryman; and you know the world is watching. Also, let’s not forget, Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United was meant to open the door for Nani’s meteoric rise, just like the Portuguese ace’s before him. Instead, he has been reduced to constant fodder for transfer stories. The man must have wanted nothing more than to vanquish his compatriot in front of his home crowd. Nani was amped up for this game but evidently, too amped.
Happier times for Nan and Ron
Now hecklers, particularly from supporters of clubs not even in the Champions League or in serious contention for any silverware this season, went to town on twitter, BlackBerry, Facebook and so on, ridiculing United like they hadn’t been watching the game. United was ahead, albeit courtesy an unfortunate own goal by Real captain, Sergio Ramos, and ‘bossing’ the game as the Brits would say. Again, this was in no way a guarantee that United would have held on to the lead, let alone win the game. However, on the evidence to that point, after almost an hour and the attempts on goal that repeatedly called Diego Lopez in the Real goal into action towards the end of the encounter, a betting man would put money on United doing the business.
To say the red card didn’t change much is absurd because it directly set off the chain of events that led to the revival by Real Madrid. The foul occurred in the 56th. In the 59th, the ‘assaulted’ Arbeloa, a defender, was replaced by creative midfielder, Luka Modric, whose blinder of an equalizer was scored seven minutes later. Remember, this is Luka Modric who had been repeatedly linked to Manchester United , even before an uneven start to his La Liga career. So I guess he had something to prove and his introduction, super strike and deft touches definitely changed the game. Would he have been introduced if it was11-all? Did the numerical advantage give him more room to operate? We will never know but what we do know is that the sending off was the catalyst for Real’s awakening after a subpar hour on the pitch.
The red card aside, it was a beautiful game with Diego Lopez in goal and Luka Modric standing out for Madrid, while Danny Welbeck worked tirelessly for United. However, my hat goes off to the living legend, Ryan Giggs, wo played in his one thousandth game for Manchester United and showed young’ns how to do this son! At 39 (old in most sporting circles), his performance yesterday (and in most of the 999 appearances that came before) is the type of example young hopefuls need to study and aspire to. It’s a shame his millennial game ended the way it did but that’s just life.
Reliable Ryan
Maybe most interesting was Mourinho conceding (honestly or just mind games, who knows?) that the “best team lost.” However, this debate may go on for days or it may end today (if it hasn’t already) but the bottom line is the final score and on the night, it was Manchester United 1 Real Madrid 2 for an aggregate 2-3 score in favor of the once galácticos. Manchester United, unfairly or otherwise, lost a player (to a red card) and lost the match. End of story.
Mourinho: Apologetic or appreciative?
So, in parting, I will say Manchester United was robbed of a chance to advance to the Quarter Finals of the Champions League but the referee is not the culprit. This was an inside job.
If a member of staff steals from you outside the house, is that still an inside job?
I Am Random!
PS – While we’re all losing sleep over whether it was a sending off or not, Nani and the rest of the losing contingent will still be paid their astronomical wages. While a lot of speculation exists as to what footballers are paid, this should give you some idea. Still care so much about the outcome?
I Am Random 