Cuneyt Cakir, the Turkish referee who controversially sent off Manchester United's Nani in the second leg of the Champions League last-16 clash with Real Madrid last night, is likely to miss out on the final,
according to former Uefa referee Serdar Tatli. Cakir's decision to dismiss Nani midway through the second half astonished most, including Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany
who wrote on Twitter: "Never a red card". The red card incident came after 56 minutes when Nani challenged Real's Alvaro Arbeloa for a 50-50 ball but collided with the defender mid-air with his boot. As both players lay prone on the pitch, Cakir waited for Nani to get to his feet before brandishing a shock red card, a decision that caused Ferguson to leap from his seat and march to the touchline to remonstrate with the officials before refusing to speak to the press afterwards. Cakir's decision to send Nani off changed the whole complexion of the tie and could now see him miss out on refereeing the Champions League final, according to former Uefa referee and fellow Turkish international Tatli.
"Nani is looking for the ball. By the time Alvaro Arbeloa arrives, the Portuguese doesn't even see him. "The action is definitely not deliberate. As his intention was to only play the ball, it should have been a yellow at the most. "I am proud as a Turk to see Cuneyt at this stage, but he lowered his chances of a European Cup final last night."
This isn't the first time Cakir has brandished red to players from the Premier League. Mario Balotelli, Steven Gerrard and John Terry
have all been on the wrong end of the Turk's notebook in recent times. Today it also emerged the referee
follows Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid on Twitter, works in insurance and is not a professional referee. Should Nani have been sent off? Let us know by completing our poll.