No Foul, No Appeal; Darren Fletcher Will Miss The Final

6 May 09 by Bill

Darren Fletcher will miss the Champions League Final in Rome no matter what after being sent off in Tuesday’s semi-final victory over Arsenal.

It was reported after the game that the Scot would be unable to appeal the decision but a possible silver lining would be the referee’s match report. Should Roberto Rosetti, last night’s match official, state he had made a mistake in handing out the punishment, UEFA had the power to overturn the decision.

Anyone who has seen the incident replayed must agree it was never a red card so once the ref sees it again, problem solved right? Wrong.

Under UEFA rules (article 44.4), any decision can only be rescinded if it is a case of mistaken identity.

“A protest against a caution or expulsion from the field of play after two cautions is admissible only if the referee’s error was to mistake the identity of the player.”

Even if Roberto Rosetti explicitly tells UEFA he made a mistake and Fletcher should not have been sent off, the Scot will still miss the final.

I should make it clear that the referee has not come out and said he made a mistake. We are working purely on the assumption he realises he has when seeing the replay.

A UEFA spokesman said:

“Manchester United have the right to protest the decision within 24 hours of the match. However, the protest is only admissible if the referee made an error and mistakenly identified and cautioned or sent off the wrong player.

However, article 9.1 of UEFA’s rules and regulations states:

“Unless the disciplinary body declares otherwise, a player sent off the field is automatically suspended for the next match of the competition in which expulsion appeared.”

This rule is normally used to dish out extended punishments for excessive offenses, but it is not explicitly set out to do so. Would is be possible for a disciplinary body to decide Fletcher should serve no ban?

UEFA may not be able to rescind the card, but they do have the ability to change the punishment.

I’m not going to hold my breath though.

Darren Fletcher has been an ever present in the team this season, making 39 appearances and scoring four goals. It I his commitment and work rate which Ferguson admires so much and it is that which would have probably got him a spot in the starting eleven in Rome.

A great day for the team, probably the worst in his career for Fletcher.