Manchester United vs Real Madrid discussion

Top marks for Cüneyt Çakir. Ex-referee Pierluigi Collina, a member of the UEFA ref's committee, reviewed the Turk's performance during the Manchester United - Real Madrid game and found his performance more than satisfactory.

Collina was at Old Trafford to evaluate Çakir's job and agreed with the sending off of Nani for a high foot on Álvaro Arbeloa. The worst decision from the Turk, according to Collina, was his failure to send off Rio Ferdinand at the end of the match. The English defender let fly at the referee for the mistakes that the player believed he had made. In spite of that lapse Collina still gave Cüneyt Çakir an 8.2 out of 10.

Mr Nick09 wrote:

Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez has added his voice to the condemnation of Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir’s sending off of Nani against Real Madrid.

The Spain international told Mundo Deportivo: 'Nani is going for the ball so I think it was very harsh. It changes the game; a red card should be for something much worse. There is so little between the big teams in Europe that a sending off makes so much difference.

'I always say with these incidents that you have to look at the intention of the player. Nani is looking at the ball and not at the defender. For me it is very harsh.'

Barcelona benefited from a similar sending off two years ago at the semi-final stage against Real Madrid. But Xavi said: 'I don’t think it is the same because Pepe goes to make the foul. He can see (Dani) Alves throughout the entire incident.

'Nani, on the other hand, doesn’t. Nani sees the ball and wants to control it. He is ‘playing’, not ‘defending’, he does not set out to foul the opponent so the two incidents are completely different.'

The general consensus in the British press following Tuesday's Champions League tie at Old Trafford was that Cüneyt Çakir's decision to send United's Nani off for dangerous play, radically changed the course of the match. The Turkish referee, who has been widely criticized for his action, stood by his decision when he spoke with AS on Friday, saying, "I feel fine and I am not in any doubt about my decisions. It was correct to issue Nani a red card. In time, everyone will realize that it was the right thing to do".

Some sections of the English press have cited Çakir's previous form with English clubs in European competition and recalled the referee's decision to send John Terry off for kneeing Alexis Sánchez in last season's Champions League semi-final return leg against Barcelona. Also mentioned was the red card Balotelli received for kicking Popov in the chest in the Europe League tie between Manchester City and Dinamo Kiev in 2010-11 as well as Steven Gerrard's dubious dismissal during England's EURO 2012 meeting with Ukraine and the sending off of Chelsea's Gary Cahill in the Club World Cup Final last December.

Çakir also defended his decisions in those matches, telling AS: "I never made an unfair decision in those games involving English sides. Which of them is wrong? The red card I gave Terry, or Balotelli? I know that I was right in booking them or sending them off". The ref says he is has no regrets and feels relaxed despite being in the eye of the media hurricane since Tuesday's match. "It hasn't made me feel bad. I don't think about it. I have been on the end of more criticism for other decisions I have made but I have always bounced back from any complaints I have received. I must carry on. I do my job perfectly".

According to Turkish publication, Milliyet, UEFA gave Çakir a rating of 8.3 for his performance in the second leg tie between Manchester United and Real Madrid. There were question marks over several other decisions in the match such as a penalty appeal when Rafael handled the ball and that Van Persie was in an offside position in the move leading up to United's goal. Yet Çakir's display was endorsed by UEFA Referees Committee member, Pierluigi Collina, who said that the Turkish official got the Nani decision right but should have sent Ferdinand off during the final minutes of the match.