Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed Middlesbrough skipper
Emanuel Pogatetz should receive an extra punishment
for his horror tackle on Manchester United's Rodrigo
Possebon at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Pogatetz was red-carded for the challenge in the Carling Cup
clash by referee Andre Marriner and has since offered an apol-
ogy to Possebon for his conduct.
Thankfully, the young Brazilian neither broke his leg nor suff-
ered ligament damage. However, he is facing a number of weeks
on the sidelines, such was the severity of the gash he sustained
to his shin.
Ferguson does not feel an automatic three-match ban from the
"I am pleased the referee acted so firmly with a red card for
an offence which I think the FA should consider further,"
Ferguson told United Review. There is no place in football
for that kind of challenge".
At least, in captain Gary Neville, Ferguson can offer Possebon the ideal
example to follow as he battles back to fitness.
The United boss admitted he feared Neville would never return to
Premier League combat after the broken ankle he suffered against
Bolton in March 2007.
But Neville's tenacity has seen him return to action and there must
be an outside chance he will be called up for England duty by Fabio
Capello ahead of next month's World Cup qualifiers with Kazakhstan
and Belarus.
"When you consider the way Gary has been plagued by inj-
uries for 18 months, he has done brilliantly to come back
so convincingly," said Ferguson.
"At one point I thought he would not make it back into the
Premier League. But he has and all credit to him.
"He persevered and never lost faith, despite the succession
of niggles and strains that followed his ankle injury.
"He is a role model for any player feeling down on his luck."
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