Wednesday 2 April 2014 09:51, UK
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola branded the late dismissal of Bastian Schweinsteiger in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford as ‘unfair’.
United produced a resolute display in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final and head to the Allianz Arena next week with hope of reaching the last four.
Nemanja Vidic’s superb header put David Moyes’ side ahead, but Schweinsteiger levelled soon after with a composed finish, before seeing red in the closing moments, meaning he will miss the return clash.
The Germany international was booked for a second time after a tussle with Wayne Rooney, and expressed his frustration at the time by appearing to suggest he felt the England striker dived.
Guardiola did not want to get drawn into a debate about the particular incident but did reveal he had spoken to Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo about the matter.
The former Barcelona boss said: "I spoke with the referee and he gave me his opinion... I have to respect (it)."
When asked if he agreed with the decision, he said: "Absolutely not."
Asked about Schweinsteiger's apparent 'diving' gesture, he said: "I didn't see, but I spoke to the referee.
"He is a very good referee. He made a very, very good game, but it is unfair.
"But it is okay. To win the Champions League you have to solve and overcome everything. In football this kind of thing happens."
On the whole, Guardiola was pleased with the performance, believing his side are well placed in the tie.
He said: "The result is 1-1 so we scored away, so this is good. I am happy for our performance, 70 per cent possession, 15 attempts.
"It is not easy to create the chances but we created quite enough.
"We were reacting after going 1-0 down. It is not an exceptional result but it is good enough considering how good Manchester United are."
