Mancini escapes UEFA punishment

Roberto Mancini will avoid punishment from UEFA following his outburst at referees after Manchester City’s draw with Ajax on Tuesday.

The City manager was left fuming when his side had a penalty denied late on in their Champions League clash with the Dutch champions, after initially having a winner disallowed for offside in the dying stages of the game.

Replays indicated that the officials had ruled correctly, but Mancini still confronted Danish referee Peter Rasmussen and was adamant City had been hard done by.

However, football’s governing body in Europe confirmed that the Italian will not be facing any disciplinary action.

“Nothing was reported neither by the delegate nor by the referee,” a UEFA spokesperson told The Guardian.

“No disciplinary proceedings are opened.”

Mario Balotelli has also escaped punishment for his involvement in the closing minutes of the game, after the striker had to be held back by captain Vincent Kompany.

The decision will come as a surprise to many, considering UEFA’s decision to fine and hand a touch-line suspension to Arsene Wenger after the Arsenal manager’s comments about refereeing in a Champions League match with Barcelona last season.