Manchester United football fans are considered to be some of the most passionate in the world and one fan took it very far on Tuesday during the match against Read Madrid, as he called the police after a red card was given to Luis Nani.
According to Deadspin.com and the Manchester Evening News, an 18-year-old fan dialed 999 (same thing as 911 in America) to report a "crime" soon after Nani was called for a red card for accidentally hitting the torso area of álvaro Arbeloa. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson was fuming, as was the fan, who contacted police in Nottinghamshire after the incident at Old Trafford.
The police later said that people should "think before they dial" and the report said that later the fan called to apologize and said that he was "caught up in the excitement." On Wednesday the police confirmed that the local Manchester United fan called at 9.20pm, which was right after Nani was sent off the pitch.
Real Madrid took the match 2-1 after the red card, leaving Manchester United to lose and fallout of the Champions League after a tough day at Old Trafford. The second half foul left the team with 10 men and Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo were able to score for Madrid to advance the club.
Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir made the decision in the match and left United down a man in a crucial contest. Cakir said that the play Nani made was dangerous, although he clearly was going after the ball, as video replays later showed.
Real Madrid had 22 shots and 10 on goal, while Manchester finished with 19 and seven. United had four offsides and were dominated in the time of possession, keeping the ball 37 percent of the time, while Madrid had it for 63 percent of the match.
The police in Nottinghamshire had nearly 7,000 hoax callas last year and Chief Inspector Ted Antill, of Nott Police control room, said later: "While this recent example may be amusing, it illustrates the sort of insincere calls we have to deal with on a daily basis in the Control Room. They waste our time and they direct us away from genuine victims of crime, particularly if we dispatch officers out to something that turns out to be a bogus report. I would ask people to think before picking up the phone for emergency services. I would also advise parents to ensure your children are aware that prank calls and the reporting of made-up crimes is a crime in itself."
"There may be people out there in real trouble who need our help and they have to wait because we are tied up with calls like this one, reporting a referee from the television. It's no joke. In this case, the man realised his bad judgement and apologised and we decided not to pursue it further. But we can and we do prosecute people for wasting police time and making false reports," Antill said.
Manchester is playing Chelsea on Sunday in the FA Cup.