Uefa to look into reports of Real players provoking red

SUSPENSION CONTROVERSY REAL MADRID:UEFA WILL complete a routine study of match reports before deciding whether to take any action following Spanish media reports that two Real Madrid players deliberately provoked red cards in the Champions League.

“The Uefa disciplinary services are still looking at the match reports so (there is) no decision on possible disciplinary cases yet,” Uefa said in a statement yesterday.

Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso were both dismissed late in Tuesday’s 4-0 win away to Ajax Amsterdam after picking up second yellow cards for time-wasting. They face automatic one-match suspensions in the final group game against Auxerre, which is a dead match for Real with the Spanish club already assured of first place in Group G. The red cards mean they will have a clean slate for the next round, assuming Uefa hand them the mandatory one-match ban.

Spanish sports daily Marca summed up comment across the country’s media, saying: “Real Madrid’s great match was overshadowed by the self-inflicted sendings-off which had the aim of not accumulating yellow cards before the last 16.” However, Ramos denied to the same newspaper that his red card was deliberate.

“We tried to waste a bit of time as we were a man down and, knowing the result, the referee could have avoided showing this card,” he said.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has denied instructing his players to seek deliberate red cards: “I spoke with many players throughout the game, not only with Ramos and Alonso. The two red cards were the result of strange referee bookings in an easy game to monitor,” he said.

“I didn’t like them one bit, but if Ramos or Alonso can’t face Auxerre others will take their place. We will not give our game against the French away. We want to win all our matches.”

Two years ago, Uefa fined Olympique Lyon players Cris and Juninho €15,000 and €10,000 respectively for getting deliberately booked during a Champions League match against Fiorentina.Uefa’s disciplinary panel decided the pair had committed deliberate fouls in order to serve a one-match suspension during their team’s meaningless final group stage match against Bayern Munich.