Nemanja Vidic, the Manchester United central defender, is almost certainly out of the Champions League first knockout round games with Inter Milan, after receiving a straight red card in yesterday’s Club World Cup final against Liga de Quito.

Vidic was dismissed by Ravshan Irmatov, the referee from Uzbekistan, for elbowing Claudio Bieler, the Argentine striker, as they tussled on the ground in the 48th minute. His punishment is in the hands of Fifa, the tournament organisers, which will recommend the length of Vidic’s suspension for Uefa to implement in Champions League games. It will not affect his appearances in the Barclays Premier League.

Fifa confirmed that the minimum penalty for a straight red card is a one-match ban, although United are already aware that it is more likely that they will be without Vidic for both legs against Inter and potentially for the first game of the quarter-finals, too, were Fifa to regard the incident as violent conduct.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, made little attempt to defend his player, who has already been sent off once this season, against Liverpool. “It was disappointing because it was absolutely a comfortable situation for us,” he said. “Our two centre halves had probably their easiest games for weeks. Nemanja is in the dressing-room disappointed in himself. His sending-off made it difficult because we lost the potency we had been showing in the first half. We had to display more discipline and the priority became making sure we did not lose a goal.

“It was sort of a soft sending-off. It is not as if he put an arm back and swung an elbow at him, it was more a push with that part of the arm, but doing that right in front of the referee, you give yourself no chance. The referee had no option and he was correct to show a red card there.

“We have been informed that if there is a suspension it will be in the European Cup. Now it depends how Fifa interpret it and how Uefa act on the information they get.”

The fact is, though, that Fifa’s recommendations are expected to be followed to the letter, with no room for leniency, and with the first leg in Milan not due to take place until February 23, there is also plenty of time for any punishment to take effect.

“I didn’t think it was a full-on elbow,” Rio Ferdinand, Vidic’s central defensive partner, said. “It is disappointing to lose Nemanja for the Inter Milan game, because he has been instrumental in our success, but we’ve got to deal with it. We have a great young centre half in Jonny Evans, who will relish the chance.”

The dismissal was the one negative for United during what has otherwise been a very successful week at the Club World Cup, ending with a trophy and a wonderful resurgence in form for Wayne Rooney, who scored the winning goal in the final after United had gone down to 10 men and was later crowned player of the tournament, beating Cristiano Ronaldo into second place. United are the first club from England to become world champions and Rooney scored three goals in two matches, despite starting only as substitute in the first game.

Ferguson said: “I think Wayne was the player of the game, as well as the tournament. He deserved his goal, which was magnificent. It was so typical of him. He has the energy to play as an attacker when you are down to ten men and the tenacity to play as a defender, too.”