Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has continued to insist that Bayern Munich's players contributed hugely to Rafael's sending-off in United's midweek Champions League exit.

Ferguson was fuming that several Bayern players surrounded match referee Nicola Rizzoli calling for the young Brazilian to shown a second yellow card, with his dismissal sparking a revival which eventually saw the German club progress to the semi-finals on away goals.

"It is hard to understand the press," Ferguson barked."Someone told me that coming back from the Champions League final in Rome last year they were all delighted on the press bus that we lost.

"They were absolutely pleased that we lost - the English press. The person who told me was disgusted, that is a fact. He had no reason to lie to me.

"Our performance on Wednesday was fantastic. At 3-0 it could have been 5-0. We were magnificent. Absolutely magnificent.

"But that gets lost just because people want a headline out of what I said about the Germans. That is disgusting because the players deserved some praise."

However, Ferguson the ruined his own argument by adding:"The Germans let themselves down in the way they behaved in getting the boy sent off.

"If they don't recognise that there is nothing I can do about it. But it was totally unfair.

"They bullied the referee into it. He is a young referee and he succumbed to that pressure because he wasn't going to send the boy off."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email