Media Release Date: 11/05/2009 Communiqué aux médias No. 062 Medien-Mitteilung

Manchester United FC and FC Barcelona protests not admitted

Red cards of Darren Fletcher and Eric Abidal and caution of Daniel Alves stand

The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body today rejected the protests of Manchester United FC regarding the suspension of Darren Fletcher, and Barcelona FC regarding the suspension of Eric Abidal and the yellow card of Daniel Alves.

The Control and Disciplinary Body decided not to admit the protest submitted by Manchester United FC in relation to Darren Fletcher’s red card in the UEFA Champions League semi- final second leg against Arsenal FC.

Similarly the Control and Disciplinary Body did not admit Barcelona FC’s protest against the red card of Eric Abidal and the caution of defender Daniel Alves Da Silva in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea FC.

All three players are therefore suspended for one UEFA club competition match and will serve their suspensions when Barcelona FC meet Manchester United FC in the UEFA Champions League final in Rome on 27 May.

In reaching their decision the Control and Disciplinary Body concluded (i) that the protests had not been submitted within the required 24-hour deadline of a match for filing protests, as specified in the Disciplinary Regulations, and (ii) even if they had been admitted they would have been rejected as unfounded as there were no grounds for contesting the referees’ original decisions.

The decisions of the Control and Disciplinary Body can be appealed within three days of the dispatch of the written decision.

For further information: UEFA Media Services: ++41 848 04 27 27