Oi, ref! Nani's red card, and five other shocking decisions

Manchester United's downfall: not the first time an English team has been undone by the ref

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

MANCHESTER UNITED fans are in no doubt about who to blame for their exit from the Champions League last night - Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir, who took the harsh decision to send off Nani for a high tackle in the 56th minute. United were winning 1-0 at the time, but against ten men Madrid came back to win 2-1, leaving Alex Ferguson too "distraught" to face the media. It's not the first time a controversial refereeing decision has left English fans aghast...

Robin van Persie, Barcelona vs Arsenal, 2011: "A total joke," was how Arsene Wenger described Massimo Busacca's decision to send off Robin van Persie at Camp Nou. With the game poised at 1-1 and the score 2-2 on aggregate, RVP latched onto a through ball and unleashed a shot that flew wide of the Barcelona goal. After he was flagged offside, Busacca gave him a second yellow card for deliberately kicking the ball away. An outraged Van Persie insisted he had not heard the whistle above the din created by 95,000 spectators. Barcelona went on to win 3-1 on the night and Wenger's furious response earned him a one-match ban.

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