Lille drop Man Utd goal protest

Lille appeared to consider walking off in protest

Lille have ended their protest over Manchester United's goal in the first leg of their Champions League tie.

The French side were angry that Ryan Giggs' free-kick was allowed to stand to give United a 1-0 advantage.

Uefa rejected their initial protest and a subsequent appeal so the French club considered taking their protest to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.

But on Friday Lille, who also lost the second leg 1-0, announced they would not be taking their appeal any further.

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A statement on the club's official website said: "In order not to sink into relentless legal proceedings with no end in sight, (we) have taken the decision not to pursue its appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport."

Lille were eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday, with United completing a 2-0 aggregate victory.

Uefa also charged Lille with the improper behaviour of their players, who appeared to contemplate leaving the pitch in protest at United's goal.

On an incident-filled evening, United fans were involved in a crush scare in the Stade Felix-Bollaert and Uefa's control and disciplinary body will discuss the safety and security issues on 22 March.