What happened when Sportsmail tracked down ref who stunned United with Nani red?

By Ian Ladyman for the Daily Mail

Published: 05:30 EDT, 6 March 2013 | Updated: 09:47 EDT, 6 March 2013

Old Trafford referee Cuneyt Cakir headed back to Turkey with a smile and a joke this morning... until Sportsmail asked him for an interview.

Fresh from his horror night at Old Trafford, Cakir gathered with his assistants in the lobby of Manchester airport’s Radisson Blu hotel at 9.30am ahead of his flight back to Istanbul.

Easily recognisable in their smart blue suits and grey ties, the match officials looked just like any other group of businessmen apart from the give-away UEFA lapel badges.

Homeward bound: Cuneyt Cakir (centre) heads for his flight to Turkey the morning after sending off Nani

The questions I wanted answered

What did you make of your performance?

Do you regret your decision to send Nani off?

What did Mr Ferguson say to you at full time?

Are you looking forward to coming back to Old Trafford?

Will you expect a Christmas card from Rio Ferdinand?

Cakir was last down from his room after check out and briefly joined his colleagues in reception.

Certainly he didn’t appear to be suffering any after effects from his controversial experience the night before despite receiving abuse and death threats via Twitter.

One fan tweeted: 'Hope Cuneyt Cakir f******* dies in a plane crash on way home.' Another said: 'When referees in future have a bad game, they will say he is having a "Cakir game".'

Despite the furure Cakir joined in what appeared to be some light-hearted exchanges before the group were escorted towards Terminal One for their flight home.

Things did turn a little sour, though, when I approached them and asked for their views on their handling of Manchester United’s defeat by Real Madrid last night.

Cakir himself just stared at me stoney-faced and shook his head while their security detail – man of advanced years in a blue anorak – decided to get a little heavy.

Dismissed: Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir shows Manchester United's Portuguese winger Nani the red card

Gutted: Nani's dismissal was quickly followed by goals from Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo

Throwing his arms round me, he tried to shepherd me away from the group of Turks, saying rather definitively: 'They won’t talk to you. They have been told not to say anything.'

It’s only right that we respect their views, of course. Match officials are under no obligation to talk to the media, either in domestic or international football. Maybe we will have to wait for Mr Cakir’s book. Sir Alex Ferguson will probably be the first to buy it.

But now it can be revealed just how fond the Insurance agent is of waving cards around after it emerged the 36-year-old has not refereed a single game without booking someone all year.

He has shown an incredible 36 yellow cards and three reds in just eight club games since mid-January.

Only on Saturday, in his last domestic game before travelling to Manchester, Cakir showed six yellow cards in a game between Akhisar Beledi and Elazigspor in Turkey.

A week earlier, meanwhile, he booked five players and sent one off in Gaziantepspor’s win over Bursaspor.

Turkish journalist Fatih Ozkan confirmed that Cakir has caused controversy in his home country.

'He was one of the best in recent years but after he was assigned to European games, he lost his concentration in the Turkish leagues,' he said.

'This season he hasn't been assigned too many big games. The biggest he got was the Super Cup final in August between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.

VIDEO Controversial ref is grabbed by furious Galatasaray player

'He made a controversial decision as Fenerbahce scored a goal and Engin Baytar, the Galatasaray player, shoved him and tried to grab him.'

Baytar was handed an 11-game suspension after that but, despite not refereeing too many high-profile Turkish fixtures since, Cakir has still been in the news.

Just three days prior to the Nani decision, Cakir hogged the headlines in Turkey for a failure to award a penalty in Akhisar's 1-0 defeat to Elazigspor.

'The obstacle was the referee,' Akhisar's manager, Hamza Hamzaoglu, said to reporters after the game.

'I do not enjoy his games as a coach, and nor did the players.'

It also emerged last night that Cakir follows both Real Madrid and star player Cristiano Ronaldo on Twitter.

Best of friends: Cakir's Twitter page shows that he follows Real Madrid and their star man Cristiano Ronaldo

Ferguson was too distraught to conduct his post-match press conference but his assistant Mike Phelan was critical of the referee's performance.

'We witnessed a decision that seemed harsh and incredible,' he said. 'I can't remember a decision like that in as big a match as this. They are there to make decisions, but there is an element of doing the right thing.

'He spoiled the game. We were definitely disappointed. We have a massive audience and everyone will wonder how this has happened.'

Former United full back Gary Neville meanwhile admitted the incident left Old Trafford more stunned than he has ever seen it.

Furious: Sir Alex Ferguson made his feelings clear while the referee was escorted off the pitch at full time

He tweeted: 'Been going to OT since age of 5 and I've never seen the whole ground as in disbelief as they were last night at a decision!'

'Nani is a player who regularly tries to control a pass like this over his shoulder and its never a red card! Changed the whole game! Poor ref.

'The crowd actually weren't angry / weren't shouting they were just open mouthed and in shock!'

But Roy Keane sparked outrage when he defended the official's decision to dismiss the Portgueuse winger.

He said: 'I think the referee has actually made the right call. Everyone's upset about it and it's slightly unlucky, but it's dangerous play. Whether he meant it or not is irrelevant.

'It's dangerous play - it's a red card.

'You have to be aware of other players on the pitch. Does he think he's going to have 20 yards to himself?

'Whether it's (a brave decision) or not, it's the right decision. Whether he meant it or not doesn't matter.

'Nani's a quick boy to go down anyway. He's not the bravest player on the planet.'