Fellaini, United escape punishment for Anfield incidents

Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini will face no punishment for his clash with Emre Can, while his club’s supporters will not be sanctioned for offensive chants during last Thursday’s Europa League match against Liverpool.

Fellaini appeared to strike his opponent Can with an elbow during the closing moments of Liverpool’s 2-0 win in the first leg of the last-16 tie at Anfield.

During the match, sections of the United support were heard to sing songs referencing the football stadium disasters at Heysel and Hillsborough – where terrace incidents around games involving Liverpool resulted in the deaths of 135 fans.

But referee Carlos Velasco Carballo and his team of officials did not mention either the Fellaini-Can flashpoint or the chants in their official reports, meaning UEFA will not pursue the matters further.

A statement from UEFA read: “The reports of the match officials did not include any mention of the alleged incidents, therefore no disciplinary proceedings have been opened for this.”

United and Liverpool face each other once more at Old Trafford in the second leg this Thursday.