Sir Alex Ferguson expects UEFA to 'come down strongly' on Lille once the
dust has settled on their acrimonious Champions League meeting with Manchester
United.
After having a second appeal against United's 1-0 first-leg win rejected by
European football's governing body yesterday, the French club are currently
considering whether to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
It means Wednesday's return match at Old Trafford will take place against the
backdrop of the whole tie being declared void if the final ruling confirms Ryan
Giggs' quickly-taken free-kick should not have been allowed to stand.
Such a ruling appears inconceivable. Certainly Ferguson has no worries.
Instead, the United boss feels Lille need to be concerned about UEFA's March
22 hearing into their walk-off at the Stade Felix-Bollaert, the likes of which
Ferguson has never seen before and never expects to see again.
'We expect UEFA to come down strongly on them,' he observed.
'My view of what happened has not changed. They were trying to influence the
match official and the result by walking off the pitch.
'It was bizarre and extraordinary. I have never seen that before and I don't
think you will ever see it again.
'But their one saving grace is that while half a dozen of their players got
four or five yards over the touchline, they did not go down the tunnel.'
Ferguson believes Lille have attempted to wriggle out of the situation by
claiming their rights were trampled on by a huge club like United.
The insinuation is Giggs' goal would never have been allowed to stand had it
been scored against the Red Devils.
Ferguson scoffs at the suggestion and instead believes Lille were lucky to
escape the walk-off without being hit by a series of red and yellow cards.
'They have tried to create an issue around the game, saying they are a small
team from France and they are playing the big Manchester United,' he said.
'But the laws say if you leave the pitch, you need the referee's permission
to come back on.
'Four or five of their players should have been yellow-carded and probably a
couple of them had already been booked.
'It is an interesting aspect. But, from the referee's point of view, he
probably wanted the game finished and over with.'
Although no-one in the United camp believes the tie is dead, it would be a
major surprise if Ferguson's men did not advance to the last eight, where they
could easily be joined by three more English clubs.
In decreasing order, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are all well-placed to
advance as well, fuelling Ferguson's belief an all-English final is on the cards
in Athens in May.
However, Ferguson does offer a word of caution for Liverpool, who stunned
holders Barcelona by winning in the Nou Camp a fortnight ago.
'Liverpool are in a strong position but the return of Samuel Eto'o does
change the picture a bit because he is a real player,' said he said.
