Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has defended the competitive nature of football while discussing Bruno Fernandes’ reaction during the controversial incident that led to Phil Foden’s red card in the Manchester derby.
Foden was sent off in the first half of Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat of Manchester United at Old Trafford after kicking out at Fernandes.
The incident came after a confrontation between the two players, with Fernandes appearing to make contact with Foden before the City forward reacted. VAR reviewed the incident but upheld the referee’s decision.
The decision has since generated plenty of debate, with several former players questioning whether Fernandes should also have been punished.
Neville, speaking about Fernandes’ reaction, acknowledged that players have traditionally tried to influence refereeing decisions during matches.
“Look, we can sit here all day long and debate this. I’ve played in a dressing room for 15, 20 years, we used to say if a player got kicked in the box, go down and win a penalty, and if someone taps you, you’ll take it,” Neville said.
He explained that trying to gain an advantage is part of the competitive side of football, even though he admitted that some actions may not be right.
“You do try and get players sent off, and I know that’s not right, but that is what happens in the game; we’re never going to change that,” he added.
However, Neville stressed that there should be a limit to such behaviour. He said players may try to influence decisions, but deliberately attempting to have an opponent dismissed crosses a line.
“You try and make win decisions, but you wouldn’t dream of trying to get a player sent off,” Neville said.
Foden’s dismissal left Manchester City with 10 men for more than an hour, but they still managed to secure a 1-0 victory through Erling Haaland’s second-half goal.
