Fernandinho to Avoid Retrospective UEFA Action After Harry Kane Elbow Incident

Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho will avoid retrospective action for an apparent elbow on Harry Kane in his side's 1-0 defeat against Tottenham on Tuesday.

The incident came in the first half of the Champions League quarter final first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after Sergio Aguero had missed an early penalty to give his side the lead in north London.

Many Spurs' fans were aggrieved to see Fernandinho stay on the pitch after appearing to land a elbow on Kane's head after the two had gone up for a header. 

Nonetheless, the Telegraph's James Ducker has confirmed that the Brazilian will escape any further punishment, due to the fact referee Björn Kuipers saw the incident at the time - meaning UEFA can no longer review the situation.

At the time there were calls for the decision to be seen again by VAR, however such calls from the Tottenham players fell on deaf ears and the 33-year-old was able to continue.

Former Premier League referee Peter Walton spoke to BT Sport after the game (via Manchester Evening News), in an effort to clear up the matter, to shine some light on why the incident wasn't revisited.

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"That one, the referee saw it because he spoke to both players so it wasn’t a missed opportunity and it wasn’t clear and obvious in terms of what Fernandinho did," he said.

"You could say that’s very subjective, and the VAR allowed the referee’s decision on the field to stand. I can’t give a percentage but what I will say is that if you have a crowd full of people there and pretty much everyone says that’s clear and obvious, then that’s clear and obvious. 

"I would say that VAR for handball is slightly different because of the interpretation being put on the law."

The ruling means Fernandinho will be available for selection as the Citizens look to overturn the first leg deficit at the Etihad Stadium next week.