Fergie backs red-card Ron
17 Aug 2007 - 14:24:34
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo's midweek sending-off against Portsmouth was a direct consequence of provocation of his player.
Ronaldo was red-carded late on in the 1-1 draw at Fratton Park for a headbutt on Richard Hughes, with Ferguson feeling that his wing wizard had paid for reacting to challenges earlier on in the game.
He told Sky Sports News: "I think that he was falling in the trap of 100 years' experience of football that the perpetrator gets less punishment than the retaliator.
"Of course Cristiano has fallen into that trap again. It's a bitter lesson for the lad.
"I don't know what the directions seem to be, but maybe referees are a bit more tolerant of physical contact and I have noticed this in the last few months, with late challenges that go unpunished.
"Whether they get instructions to allow that, I don't know, but I thought these things were black and white. Late challenges should not be allowed.
"We saw it again on Wednesday night, he was letting it go and it went unpunished time and time again.
"Players like Ronaldo are going to be victims and the fans are going to be victims because it will end up with somebody getting a serious injury.
"It's very difficult to punish Ronaldo, or be angry with him in a way, because some of the things that happen to him are not right."