Manchester United winger Nani signs new five-year contract

The Portugal international moved to Old Trafford in 2007 from Sporting Lisbon and has played more than 200 games for United, helping them to win four league titles.

"I'm really pleased Nani has re-signed for the next five years," United manager David Moyes said.

"He has great ability and experience beyond his 26 years. I've been impressed with his approach to training and look forward to working with him in the coming seasons."

No quarter-final for Nani red ref Cakir

The Turkish official had been hoping for a last-eight appointment, but he has been overlooked by Uefa for the first-leg matches

Uefa has decided against appointing controversial Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir for any of the Champions League quarter-final first-leg fixtures.

The 36-year-old was at the centre of a storm at Old Trafford in March when he sent off Manchester United winger Nani in the second half of their second leg clash with Real Madrid.

The Portuguese had collided with Madrid's Alvaro Arbeloa with United leading 1-0 and holding an aggregate lead, but after Cakir showed Nani the red card, the English side went on to lose 2-1 to confirm their elimination from the tournament.

Uefa refused to rule out the possibility of Cakir being handed a quarter-final tie, with their spokesman saying: "We have no problem with him.

"There are no issues for us regarding the sending off and we will wait for the official reports of the match delegate and the referee's observer, as is procedure. If they raise concerns then we will act."

But the line-up for the first-leg matches has been completed by the announcement on Monday that Sven Oddvar Moen and Jonas Eriksson will officiate the Real Madrid-Galatasaray and Malaga-Borussia Dortmund fixtures, respectively.

Van Persie slams 'cowardly' Uefa after Nani red card

The Netherlands international has blasted the European governing body for its stance on the decision that contributed to Manchester United's Champions League demise

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has blasted Uefa as "cowardly" following its decision to stand by referee Cuneyt Cakir.

The Turkish official controversially sent off Nani in the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie with Real Madrid, a game which Sir Alex Ferguson's men went on to lose, having led at the time of the red card.

"That red card [Nani against Real Madrid] was heavily unjustified," Van Persie told Algemeen Dagblad. "It was not even a yellow card or a free kick. Nani couldn't do anything about it, he hardly touched Arbeloa.

"The worst thing is that Uefa supports him. That's cowardly, because I really don't understand it.

"Why don't they just be honest and say: 'He hasn't seen it?'

"I didn't understand before the game that this man would be the referee, such an unknown referee who hasn't been in charge of a big game for months.

"Even the guys from Madrid told me afterwards that it was not a red card."

The Red Devils were on course for a place in the quarter-finals prior to the sending off, leading 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate.

However, two goals in the space of four minutes put paid to their chances of progression, and Van Persie is adamant that it would have been a different story if they still had 11 men on the pitch.

"For an hour everything was looking good, the tactics seems to be right," he insisted.

"We really had the feeling that we were going to score the second goal and then it would become very difficult for Real Madrid. But then it the referee pulled the red card.

"Real were not dangerous at all, I’m sure we would have kept our position. So now it’s all about the title in the Premier League."

This is not the first time that the Dutchman has been left feeling hard done by following a Champions League elimination, as his controversial red card against Barcelona while playing for Arsenal in 2011 saw the Gunners crash out after leading the tie at the time of his dismissal.

Five of the worst: Red card decisions

Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League in controversial circumstances after Real Madrid recorded a 2-1 victory - and 3-2 aggregate win - at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.

With the whole football world tuning in, to watch two of the biggest clubs on the planet go head-to-head for a place in the quarter finals of Europe's elite club competition, a single refereeing decision midway through the second half turned the tie completely on its head.

The red card shown to Portuguese winger Nani ruined the spectacle for everyone, leaving neutral supporters short-changed from what was turning out to be a titanic battle, after Sir Alex Ferguson's side had taken a slender 1-0 lead on the night, and 2-1 aggregate advantage.

Then, in the 56th minute, Nani was sent off after raising his foot high and connecting with the ribs of Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa as Manchester United broke free from a corner.

Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir's decision to reprimand the attacking midfielder with the harshest of punishments, prompted a furious remonstration from Ferguson on the touchline, and the Old Trafford crowd became equally vociferous in airing the collective feeling of discontent.

Real Madrid took control against ten-men, scoring two goals in quick succession, with substitute Luka Modric and returning hero Cristiano Ronaldo putting the final nail in Manchester United's coffin.

The Premier League leaders rallied in the closing stages, but could not complete a fight back - even after the introduction of Wayne Rooney - with the two earlier strikes enough to settle the tie, leaving home fans to ponder what might have been had it not been for the controversial decision.

Unfortunately, it's not the first time that a referee has been the major talking point in a high-profile football match. But where does last night's calamity rank amongst GiveMeFootball's list of the five worst red card decisions ever? Find out here…

Vincent Kompany | Manchester City

Manchester United fans shouldn't feel too sorry for themselves after last night's controversy, because good fortune often favours them when it comes to questionable red card decisions.

Take, Vincent Kompany's sending off for Manchester City in their 1-0 FA Cup third round defeat on January 8, 2012. Nani was at the centre of the incident again,  but this time on the receiving end of the tackle in question, which came in the 12th minute of the game, soon after Wayne Rooney had given United a valuable lead.

Kompany's withdrawal effectively ended any hope Roberto Mancini's side had of coming back into the game, leaving the Citizens with over 75 minutes to play with ten men.

Robin van Persie | Arsenal

Another Champions League controversy came when former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in Camp Nou in their last-16 second leg tie on March 9, 2011, for kicking the ball away after play had already been stopped.

Arsene Wenger was furious with Swiss referee, Massimo Busacca, claiming that the sending off "killed the game", and was the key reason for the Gunners' exit.

"I think two kinds of people can be unhappy: those who love Arsenal and those who love football can be frustrated with the referee's decision because it's very difficult to understand his attitude," reflected the Frenchman after the game. "How can you kill a football game like that? It was a very promising game, very interesting, that's the regret."

Eden Hazard | Chelsea

Only last month, Chelsea winger Eden Hazard was sent off in extraordinary circumstances in the club's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg defeat against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium, after he was adjudged to have kicked a ballboy whilst trying to retrieve the football.

After a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, the Belgian star let his frustration get the better of him with the game still goalless in the 78th minute. As the ball drifted out for a Swans goal-kick, the ballboy's obvious attempt to delay the game's restart, prompted an altercation, which resulted in an early bath for the Blues ace.

"The boy put his whole body on to the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball," explained Hazard in the days after the game. "I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologise.

"The ballboy came in the changing room and we had a quick chat and I apologised and the boy apologised as well. It is over. Sorry."

Peter Crouch | Tottenham Hotspur

After knocking out Inter Milan in the previous round, Tottenham's hopes of Champions League glory were destroyed as early as the 15th minute of their quarter-final first leg clash against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Peter Crouch's controversial sending off following two soft yellow cards effectively ended Harry Redknapp's hopes of masterminding another memorable European victory, this time over Jose Mourinho.

The nine-times winners ruthlessly punished the England striker's indiscipline, crushing Spurs 4-0 after he was punished for a quick succession of lunging tackles in the Spanish capital.

Real Madrid travelled to north London completely in control of the tie, and after playing out a 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane progressed to the semi-finals off the back of an emphatic 5-0 aggregate victory.

THE FIVE MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYERS SIMPLY ‘WASTING THEIR CAREERS’

Sometimes in football, it doesn’t work out for players at certain Premier League clubs for a variety of reasons. From not settling in the area, to not fitting in with the teams style of play, or simply the fact that they may not be good enough or are but aren’t getting enough of an opportunity in the side. Whatever the problem is, there comes a time when players have outgrown their surroundings and may need a fresh start to revitalise their careers.

Javier Hernandez - Chicharito

The Mexican striker has fallen further down the striking pecking order this season following the signing of Dutchman Robin van Persie in the summer whose form since arriving has been excellent. So far this campaign, Hernandez has scored eight league goals in just seven games worth of football. While Ferguson will be keen to keep a player who has such a great knack of coming off the bench to score crucial goals, Hernandez may feel he needs to be playing more football in order to progress his career further.

Nani

The Portugese winger has endured a largely frustrating career at Old Trafford after arriving with high expectations from Sporting Lisbon in 2007, however he has had moments of glory as well. The 2010-2011 title winning season for the Red Devils saw Nani named the club’s player of the season as he scored nine goals and provided 18 assists in the league after an excellent campaign. This looked like it could have been the platform for him to elevate himself to another level at the club but it just hasn’t happened for him and he seems to have taken steps back rather than forward ever since. And with his red card against Real Madrid in the Champions League, Nani should be looking elsewhere to savage his career.

Nick Powell

18-year-old Nick Powell made the move from League Two side Crewe Alexandra to Manchester United in the summer and it is evident that he has a lot of potential and could be a star for the future. I can’t see him breaking into the United set up any time soon though and feel that a season long loan to for example a team in the lower half of the Premier League next season is what he needs. Comparisons that could be made are the success of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck’s successful loan spells at Wigan Athletic and Sunderland respectively, with them now both important parts of the United squad.

Anderson

The Brazilian who arrived from Porto in the same 2007 summer as Nani has had an even less successful stint in Manchester as his team mate. He is a player who Ferguson was hoping would be a box-to-box midfielder with an eye for a goal as well but it just hasn’t materialized. Limited to bit part roles in the team and never seen as a first choice, it may be time for the 24-year-old to try a fresh start.

Federico Macheda

It seems a long time ago that Macheda came on against Aston Villa to announce himself to the Old Trafford faithful with his dramatic winner against the Midlands club. However since then, he hasn’t progressed and has had a series of failed loan moves in a bid to give him more experience. Unfortunately with Macheda, who is currently on loan at Stuttgart, you feel that he just doesn’t possess the quality to play for United. What he needs now is a permanent move to a club at a level where he feels comfortable and can get some continuity, giving him more of a chance to develop.