Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher could have his Champions League ban overturned.

Fletcher faces a ban after his red card for fouling Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas in the semi.

But UEFA bigwig David Taylor gave him a glimmer of hope last night, having left the Emirates on Tuesday night with United boss Alex Ferguson.

And while UEFA rules DO NOT allow clubs to appeal against red cards unless it is a case of mistaken identity, the former Scottish FA chief offered some cause for optimism.

Taylor told The Sun: "I've spoken with Alex Ferguson personally on this - as fate would have it we shared a car after the match. We had an interesting discussion.

"He was very fair about the referee but equally was very disappointed for Darren, as are we all.

"Strictly speaking there is no appeal process but representation can be made.

"If the club want to write to us with information - such as video evidence - explaining why they think this is a harsh punishment then they can do that.

"The likelihood is we'd refer it to our disciplinary body. They would then look to see if there were any special circumstances to justify any departure from established procedures."