FIFA vice president Jim Boyce has defended referee Jonas Eriksson following his decision to send off Martin Demichelis on Tuesday night.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini was left furious by the decision, suggesting that the Swedish official should not have been selected to referee the Champions League clash with Barcelona because of his nationality.

Eriksson has, however, been selected to officiate at this summer's World Cup, and Boyce believes that he was the right man for the occasion.

"It is absolute nonsense to say a referee should not be chosen for an important match because he comes from a smaller country," the 69-year-old is quoted as saying by Touchline Talk. "If the referee has proved himself at the top level it should not matter what country they come from.

"All the referees who have been chosen for the World Cup have been assessed by experienced officials who have been involved at FIFA and UEFA level and marked on their performances in the World Cup and confederation competitions at a high level.

"I read the remarks that were made by the Manchester City manager. I saw the game and my own personal opinion is that I thought the referee had a good game. He is a very experienced referee who has been chosen for the World Cup because of excellent reports of his performances in Europe."

Pellegrini could face UEFA charges following the comments.

Written by
Daniel Lewis