Nemanja Vidic Will Miss Manchester United's First Leg Clash With Inter
The reigning champions of Europe will have to make do without their key defender against the Italian champions due to his dismissal in the FIFA Club World Cup final...
Key central defender Nemanja Vidic was given his marching orders in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
The red card was issued by Uzbeki referee Ravshan Irmatov for a stray elbow on Liga de Quito's Argentine striker Claudio Bieler in the 48th minute.
FIFA confirmed after the game that the minimum punishment for the red card would be a one game ban, and that this could be carried over into European competition.
Manchester United have been drawn into a mouth-watering tie with Italian giants Internazionale. The game will also see Jose Mourinho return to England.
However, Sky Sports have today confirmed that Serbian stopper Vidic will be suspended for the first leg of the clash - to be competed in the tricky San Siro arena on Tuesday February 24.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be in two minds over the news. His post-match comments after the Club World Cup final indicated that he thought the sending off was soft, but Irmatov had no choice but to send him for an early bath.
"It was sort of a soft sending-off," Ferguson was quoted by the Times as saying.
"It is not as if he put an arm back and swung an elbow at him, it was more a push with that part of the arm, but doing that right in front of the referee, you give yourself no chance.
"The referee had no option and he was correct to show a red card there," he concluded.
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