Kompany on red alert

MANCHESTER City skipper Vincent Kompany has predicted an “unprecedented wave” of red cards in the wake of his dismissal against Manchester United on Sunday.

Kompany started a four-match ban by missing City’s Carling Cup semi-final first-leg encounter with Liverpool last night after an FA disciplinary panel rejected his appeal. Manager Roberto Mancini had claimed he had never seen anyone get sent off in similar circumstances in 30 years in the game.

And Kompany yesterday chose to express his frustrations on his Facebook page. “I appealed because I obviously completely disagreed with the interpretation of the officials on the day but that happens in football and we move on,” he said. “I wonder though if we are now going to see an unprecedented wave of red cards on match days because we sanction ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’?

“Are we going to look back at video evidence for every single challenge that goes unnoticed by the officials, look at different scenarios and potential outcomes of what could have been considered a good tackle and then sanction it? Players and managers are starting to expect more sending offs from referees and I think it’s for the wrong reasons.”