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Michael Ballack has confessed to fouling Patrice Evra in the build-up to Chelsea's controversial second goal in their Community Shield win over Manchester United.
Sir Alex Ferguson confronted referee Chris Foy at the final whistle at Wembley yesterday adamant the German should have been sent off.
"With a replay you can see Ballack has elbowed the boy and if the referee had seen it properly, it is a red card," raged Ferguson.
Ballack admitted he was lucky to get away with his ugly challenge on the defender and said: "I have to be happy that the referee didn't blow because maybe I blocked him a little bit.
"If the referee gives a foul it would have been okay as well, but he decided not to.
"It was a bit unlucky after that because they conceded the goal.
"I kept on playing but then I didn't have the ball so I couldn't see how injured he was."
Ferguson also claimed that Foy should have stopped play when Evra went down - as the referee had done when Ballack was injured moments earlier, but Frank Lampard told the United they should have no complaints.
Lampard, who struck to put his team 2-1 ahead with Evra on the turf, said: "Anyone should look at the rules.
"It's up to the referee to stop it but United just stopped when their man was down. It's in the rules, when the referee stops it he stops it.
"We carried on and I'm sure United would have done the same in that position."
Asked if he felt he should have kicked the ball out rather than trying to score, he added: "I don't think any player would, you're entitled to shoot.
"That's what United did in the first half, but the referee stopped them and when Ballack went down in the second half they were complaining that they couldn't carry on."
Chelsea won the penalty shoot-out 4-1 after Wayne Rooney's late goal made the score 2-2 after 90 minutes.
Reader views (29)
Ok, let's look at the facts, 1) Ballack BODYCHECKED Evra which is a freekick - no arguments there but the referee played advantage because Utd had possession of the ball, Utd lose possession Chelsea go up field and score, absolutely nothing at all wrong with that. 2) It's not up to the Chelsea players to put the ball out IT'S UP TO THE REFEREE!!! 3) Evra faked being injured, Ballack caught him at chest height but Evra went down holding his face and then as soon as he realised that he wasn't getting a free kick he was up sprinting accross the pitch to confront the referee and Ballack! Hallelujah, it's a miracle!!! 4) Evra's challenge on Ballack was very dangerous, yes, he got a touch on the ball but he also went straight through the player and he's very lucky that he never seriously injured Ballack or himself in what was obviously a revenge challenge! Fergie described this as a excellent challenge! every single week last season he complained about far weaker challenges on Ronaldo, hypocrite! And fair credit to Ballack for jumping straight up and not making a meal of it! 5) United once again showed disrespect to the officials, at least four Utd players surrounding the referee after the Evra incident, at one point the referee had to push two United players out of the way so he could get away from them, disgraceful!
This was obviously just a taste of what we can expect from United and their manager this season, excuses when they lose! childish mindgames! and disrespect!
- Ian - Hull City Fan!, Hull, England
Dear old sir Alex. His age is getting to him. I am not a fan of either club, but as a fellow Scot have always admired his achievements. Now, he never stops complaining. He did not complain that Rooney was off-side, clearly!
Alex, think about retiring while ahead.
Ray, expat in usa.
- Ray Jarvis, Marlboro USA
I'm sorry but reading these comments brings up a common mistake among those UNeducated football fans. Does anyone want to know what aan "Advantage" really is? 3 attacking players vs. 8 defensive players is not an advantage, especially with one player on the attacking team inactive. Secondly Rooney receives the ball with his back to Evra, is he supposed to have eyes in the back of his head to see Evra on the ground?
And finally if the Ref thought it was not a foul and Evra was simulating - why didn't he book him for it? That would be the only plausible response.
- Remi, Slough, England
ballacks is the hero.I fould him it was the cleanest foul ballack ever made he is a dirty player, alex is a sissey he lost because his stars cant take penalties
- Phil, usa
the replay, in my opinion, is not conclusive; I dont think Ballack's elbow made contact with Nani's head. Was it accidental that both players just collided going for the ball? Perhaps Nani went down expecting a foul to be called in his favour - if the referee's doesnt blow the whistle, play on , all players know that. Well done Chelsea. This is the beginning on the end of Man.Utd.
Ferguson should really retire and let someone else take the healm . Good riddance to C.Ronaldo .He would make a better actor than a footballer!
- Shafique Motani, toronto, canada
Man Utd and their fans are dreadful losers and their players are amongst the worst offenders when it comes to so-called "professional" fouls. Sir Alex is a disgrace to football ranting at the referee in full view of the crowd and TV cameras. He should be barred from the bench for 6 matches.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK
Micheal Ballack said he blocked him, he never admitted to elbowing him, please report the story properly! I watched the game and replayed the incident and Ballack made no contact with Evras head, but he dropped to the ground like he took a punch, funny he was back up running around in no time. Man utd are sore loosers, they lost on penalties not Ballacks challenge.
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London
Ballack body checked him and the ref missed it, so what? Evra went down holding his face trying to get the game stopped at best and ballack sent off at worst. The problem is the spoilt brats of man U and their brain dead supporters don't like it when they lose. as for SFA abrilliant manager but what a prat of a person he is. he genuinely brings the game into disrepute with his whingeing.
- Kerry, Purley
Keith - maybe you should just support your local team instead of one hundreds of miles away? What an idiot!"
You are the idiot Kevin. Where did I say I even liked Man U ? I support my local team Luton.
- Keith Price, Luton England
Keith Price
You have a short memory,I dont recall Man U conceding Spurs a goal when the officials missed the fact that it was two foot over the line!
- Tonyjohnson, Hythe Kent
Evra (who holds a previous grudge against Chelsea) sought to magnify what was at most a free-kick by simulating a more serious injury; the referee played an advantage as United were in possession at the time. It is not the referee's fault that United fairly lost possession and Chelsea went on to score. Chelsea quite rightly played to the whistle. In order to make a stand with regard to the "Respect" campaign, the referee should have booked those players surrounding him after the award of Chelsea's goal. Between Manchester United's bad-sportsmanship and Manchester City's over-spending, that city is now a byword for everything rotten in football.
- Blue Baby, London
Ha ha I love some of these posts.. Chelsea should hand back the trophy.. So barcelona should hand over the Champions League trophy to Chelsea.. and wasnt Rooneys goal off side.
How any ManuUtd fan can complain about injustice when dozens of teams that visit old trafford have had to put up with injustice year after year.
- Sean, London
Love it...Ballack admitting this has only taken the focus off him being a cheat and put more pressure on the ref...He'll now go off to a club and spank £100k on booze whilst the ref gets all the stick!
If the ref had blown for the foul...are we to believe thhat ballack would have accepted it...this the the player who more or less assaulted the champions league ref when he didn't get his own way!
The FA should be able to go back to an incident after the match and dish out punishment! it was obvious it was a deliberate revenge foul after he had been floored by the utd player earlier!
Rant over!
- Jh, London
Ballack is an excellant footballer, whose gifts are marred by his cheating nature. This fact does not annoy me - it's up to the referee to control Ballack. But Foy being a Merseyside ABU made a few key decisions against United yesterday and it's his bias that should be scrutinised. You could tell the way Foy was going to be from the third minute in when he yellow-carded Berbatov inappropriately and it was cemented by him not yellow-carding Ballack for the sly use of elbow in the blocking foul on Evra. For the record, the later, front-on,robust tackle by Evra on Ballack was a great tackle and response, the opposite of sly, for which Evra was penalised. As there could only ever have been one result of a trial against Gerrard held at Liverpool Crown Court, Foy was only ever going to favour one team where United were involved.
- Barry1858, Welwyn
Keith - maybe you should just support your local team instead of one hundreds of miles away? What an idiot!!!
- Kevin, London
Football cannot continue like this where the top teams have the best cheats.
Nor is the "video referee" the answer.
Football referees must use a microphone and EXPLAIN each decision clearly in exactly the same way as rugby.
Secondly the two so called "assistant referees" have to be a lot more involved in all major or disputed decisions.
Quite simply , the officials have to be a team as well. This gets rid of "personality" referees and deters confrontation.
The game at present is training , developing , rewarding and encouraging cheats.
It has to stop.
- Bryan Odell, Knokke , Belgium
Keith Price, Luton England is right, we should hand the trophy to Man Utd for.... "
Wring I don't support Man U. never have never will. But Ballack cheated - he admitted as much - and Chelsea got a goal and drew the game, 2 - 2.So they were frotubate to be involved in a shoot-out. The result should be scrubbed. No charity on display in this year's Charity Shieild, I am afraid.
- Keith Price, Luton England
Keith Price, Luton England is right, we should hand the trophy to Man Utd for.... "
Wring I don't support Man U. never have never will. But Ballack cheated - he admitted as much - and Chelsea got a goal and drew the game, 2 - 2.So they were frotubate to be involved in a shoot-out. The result should be scrubbed. No charity on display in this year's Charity Shieild, I am afraid.
- Keith Price, Luton England
How many times did Sir Alex accept that his former charge Ronaldo should have been sent off for kicking out at, stamping on and elbowing opposition defenders (usually against smaller clubs like Stoke)? How often did Ronaldo come out an confess to his many misdemeanours? None.
- Neil Johnson, Bedford, England
Keith Price, Luton England is right, we should hand the trophy to Man Utd for.... what? Get a grip man! Man Utd lost on penalties, or would you want them retaken till you and Fergie are both happy!?? Bah, sore losers.. 
- Mr Workhope, london
Have you poeple ever played the game? This was part of the game when it was played by men. Somewhere along the line it turned into a pansy game full of prima donas.
- Colin Stevens, USA
Well done Chelsea on your deserved victory. A pity you conceded a late goal to water down the victory. The point I want to make is that players MUST NEVER put the ball out for an opponent on the floor. You only do so for your team mate. After the treatment the throw in MUST SHOW gamesmanship by returning the ball to the opposition. There is NO GAMESMANSHIP in kicking the ball out for a cheating player who has lost the ball or who is feigning injury to get an opponent carded. Evera was blocked from continuing the ManU attack and absolutely no injury suffered in the foul. He should have defended and stopped the Chelsea attack, then complain to the referee. Play to whistle is a very clever piece of advice to all footballers. Evra's retaliatory foul deserved a card, no honest comment has been made of that from their camp. Managers should INSTRUCT thier players NEVER to kick the ball out for an opponent on the floor. It is up to the referee to stop the game for an injury.
- Sorie Kamara 'Kamsoman', London, UK
And what did the referee say? it is about time officials were obliged to justify some of their decisions or lack of them. The referee may well have been unsighted, and if he was, Ferguson et. al, have no grounds for complaint. But we ought to know.
- John Punshon, Milton Keynes, England
Mico, there was no "obvious head injury", nor could there be as Evra was blocked in the chest and it was a definite foul which Foy decided to let Man U play the advantage as they were attacking.
Evra then decided to cheat and roll around holding his face rather than getting up and playing the game. Had he not cheated he'd have been in position to defend against Lampard.
Evra was not injured, as was highlighted by the comedy way he jumped up once the ball was in the net and ran over to try and start a fight with Ballack. At no point was Evra seen by the physio, and there was absolutely no damage done to Evra.
The lesson here is that Evra shouldn't have tried to cheat to get Ballack sent off, or feigned injury. Justice was done when that nasty character took one of the worst penalties of all time.
- Tom, London
Chelsea should do the decent thing and hand the trophy back, since they only won it under false pretences
- Keith Price, Luton England
what are you all getting so upset about? It's a nothing match, the league doesn't start until next week!
- Gareth, Hackney
And let's not forget Evra's 'retribution' lunge which Ferguson ludicrously classed as "an excellent tackle".
Sadly this nonsense goes on in football every day, but it only seems to matter when Man Utd have been on the receiving end.
I noticed the Respect campaign went out of the window yesterday as Rooney et al surrounded the referee to protest that he wasn't following Sir Alex's script.
- Barry Chapman, Welwyn England
Well done to Ballack for admitting what he had done. A bit more honesty would go a long way in the Premier League!
- Manny Goldstein, London, England
Exactly Frank, the referee 'stopped them'. The referee also 'stopped them' when Ballack 'went down'. He didn't 'stop them' after a blatent and nasty foul by Ballack that left a player down with an obvious head injury. We have had years of players being expected to do the 'right' thing by kicking a ball out of play in those circumstances. Admittedly there were some players and teams who tried to abuse this, but not so many that serious foul play and possible head injuries should be ignored - and especially not when the referee has made a point of stopping the game for any player down. A very good game was spoiled by the refereeing performance in general yesterday and one could not get away from the feeling that the side he wanted to win lifted the shield. His performance from the start was certainly not balanced. How he gave a yellow card to Berbatov in the first 2 minutes, when a free kick is aimed towards his back and he sticks a foot out behind him to stop it, then a couple of badly 'mistimed' tackles by Chelsea a couple of minutes later don't even get a blink of the eye? Well done Chelsea and United for making this such a good game but we were certainly back to the questionable referees debate - before the league season has even kicked off.
- Mico, Grindsted, Denmark
