Nemanja Vidic will miss the first leg of Manchester
United's Champions League tie with Inter Milan after being
suspended for one match following his red card in the Club World
Cup final.
Vidic was dismissed for swinging an elbow into the face of LDU
Quito's Claudio Bieler in Yokohama on December 21. The Serbia star
was facing the possibility of a three-game suspension but a FIFA
disciplinary panel today confirmed a one-match ban.
United have no right of appeal and Vidic has also been fined
5,000 Swiss francs (£2,985). Under FIFA's disciplinary system,
Vidic is suspended from the next 'club competition match at
confederation level'.
That effectively means the Champions League, ruling the former
Red Star Belgrade player out of the first leg against Inter at the
San Siro on February 24.
The punishment will doubtless come as a blow to Inter boss Jose
Mourinho, who claimed Vidic should have been ruled out of both
games.
United will probably consider the suspension in line with what
they had expected, although AC Milan's Kakha Kaladze did not
receive any punishment for his dismissal in the same tournament two
years earlier.
The impact will be softened significantly by the recent return
to fitness of Rio Ferdinand
from a back problem. Ferdinand came back at West Brom last Tuesday,
while earlier today Ferguson stated he expected Vidic's likely
replacement Jonny Evans to be out for only two more weeks with his
ankle injury.
It means Evans should be available for the Old Trafford
encounter with Fulham which has been pushed back a day to
Wednesday, February 18, six days before the Inter tie.
