Petulant, pathetic, pointless

WALKING off the pitch when you disagree with a referee's decision is no way to behave.

Lille players were wrong to protest against Ryan Giggs' winner in Manchester United's 1-0 Champions League first-leg win, which was played in Lens.

It was petulant, pathetic and pretty pointless.

Giggs' goal - from a quickly taken free kick - had already been permitted by Dutch referee Eric Braamhaar.

After the game resumed, he could not subsequently disallow the goal. Though Lille swiftly returned to the pitch, the damage had been done.

And, emulating their errant players, the French crowd behaved badly. United captain Gary Neville was struck by missiles thrown from the stands.

Little wonder, then, that Alex Ferguson said: 'Uefa have got to do something about that.

'The Lille staff encouraged their players to come off the ground. It's intimidation of the referee. It was a disgrace. It created a hostile atmosphere.

'Gary was struck by an object thrown from the side of the pitch, and all sorts of objects were thrown at our bench. It should not be allowed.

'I have seen a lot of bad behaviour in football. It is an emotional game. But, usually, everything settles down the next day.

'I have never seen anything like this. It creates an intimidating environment and it was wrong.'

The Lille coach Claude Puel insisted: 'I have heard this before from Sir Alex Ferguson because he likes to influence the referee.'

Perhaps so, but Ferguson is an innocent man on this occasion.

Puel had two grievances during the match: 'There were two dubious decisions during the game, which we could've well done without.

'We had one goal disallowed, and then a free kick like that. It was a real shame. We didn't deserve that.'

Perhaps not, but their reaction deprived them of sympathy.

Their striker Peter Odemwingie had a goal disallowed for a shove on Nemanja Vidic, even if it was hardly the most powerful push ever seen on a football field.

Combined with Braamhaar's later decision, it makes Lille rank outsiders to progress to the last eight of the Champions League for the first time.

That is assuming that Uefa do not, as some suggested in the immediate aftermath, expel them.

There is a maxim that decisions even themselves out over the course of a season. In knock-out competitions, that is rarely true.

Yet, greater miscarriages of justice have been perpetrated without drawing a similar reaction, and certainly without it being prompted by members of the coaching staff.

A quarter of a century ago, the France side were the victims of a gruesome assault by German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher on their defender Patrick Battiston.

It was during a World Cup semi-final that was also refereed by a Dutch official.

Their spirited reaction endeared them to many.

While the taking of set-pieces before the referee has blown his whistle remains a grey area, there are precedents.

Another Frenchman, Thierry Henry, is an expert at quick thinking when it comes to free kicks. He has scored from them against Aston Villa and Chelsea.

Both teams, if disgruntled, proceeded with the game nevertheless.

Giggs' imitation of Henry was evidence of a sharp footballing brain. It also earned United arguably their finest result away in Europe, since the Welshman himself struck twice in the 3-0 win over Juventus in February 2003.

Under different circumstances, Tuesday's game would prompt discussions about different topics.

Whether Ferguson's Indian summer could yet bring a second Champions League. Whether he is right to persevere with a five-man midfield in Europe. When Wayne Rooney's long wait for a goal on the continent will end. Or the impact of Henrik Larsson's decision to return to Helsingborgs next month.

Instead, the focus will be on Giggs' 83rd-minute winner, Lille's response, and the subsequent crowd trouble.

Inevitably, attention will switch to the footballing authorities after a moment that Uefa should prove unable to ignore.

Remarkably, the only disciplinary sanction against Lille was the caution goalkeeper Tony Sylva received for his protests about the goal.

There are likely to be more repercussions for the French side for their display of petulance.

stsports@sph.com.sg