Darren Fletcher was last night denied a clear penalty when his foot was clearly swept from under him just as he was turning to either shoot or drill a ball right across the keeper.

That the referee did not see it as a penalty was ridiculous enough that he then booked Darren Fletcher for simulation just added insult to injury.

Now, we can’t do anything about the penalty decision, the moment has been and gone. Fortunately, it didn’t really cost us anything on the night and we just have to accept that referees are human and humans make mistakes.

But surely we can take a closer look at this situation where yellow cards cannot be appealed?

Just because someone has made a mistake doesn’t mean that those responsible cannot make reparation and it shouldn’t mean that the victim of the mistake (in this case, Darren Fletcher individually, Manchester United generally and football as a whole) should pay for it.

This is the UEFA Champions League. The Premier Competition in European Football.

UEFA have gone to great lengths over the years to make sure that it includes the very best clubs in Europe who, as a rule, have the very best players in the world and this goes towards making it arguably the greatest club competition in the world of football.

When a key player is suspended from a match, it does detract somewhat from the competition as a whole.

When that player is suspended from a match because of the mistakes of others, it is criminal.

Now, I realise that Darren Fletcher is NOT suspended and all of this might seem like an over-reaction but Champions Leagues rules state that three yellow cards in three seperate matches mean that the player will be suspended for the match following the third card.

Darren Fletcher has proved that he is the man for the big matches and, should we reach the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals or the Final, I would be prepared to bet a rather hefty sum that the only things that would stop Fergie from picking him in those matches would be an injury or a suspension.

As a full-blooded, attacking, defending, box-to-box type of player, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that at some point in the games to come, Darren could pick up another couple of yellow cards. The one he was given last night would make that three and he could even find himself out of the final (again) and wrongly (again).

One more booking for Darren now would mean that he would be walking a tightrope in all future matches knowing that one false move could see him banned for the next game.

Now, you might say that Darren knows the score in this situation and will just have to watch his step in the coming matches and I would agree but this is the problem with the current situation – Darren was watching his step in last night’s game, he did nothing wrong and he still got booked!

Who is to say that the ref won’t make a mistake in the next game? And the next game? And then Darren (or someone else) is banned for one of the most important games in his life through no fault of their own.

UEFA are probably worried that if they started to rescind yellow cards then they would be inundated by appeals and that it would set a precedent that could see attempts to filter it down to League football, Non-League Football, Kiddies Sunday Football etc etc etc. but that needn’t be the case (I don’t see any reason why not though).

I repeat – this is Europe’s Flagship Footballing Tournament. The Best of the Best of the Best.

The referees are appointed by UEFA and so UEFA should be responsible for any mistakes their appointed officials make. If that means someone there has to sit in front of a TV screen watching TV replays for an hour every other Wednesday and Thursday morning then so be it (it’s hardly the logistical nightmare that is attempting to have two extra officials standing behind the goals for every match).

Referees have a mandatory retirement age of around 45 but this kind of job would seem ideal for all those vastly experienced referees who know the rules inside out but can no longer participate actively on the field of play.

It’s not rocket science, it doesn’t require mountains of money and I believe it answers positively the most important question UEFA should be asking themselves whenever a change to the rules is being considered: Is this a pro-football measure or an anti-football measure?