David Beckham will automatically miss Manchester United's potentially decisive match against Vasco da Gama in the Maracana tomorrow night after his 45th-minute sending-off here last night.

The FIFA tournament committee will meet this afternoon to consider whether Beckham should receive a further punishment and it seems likely that he will also be suspended for next Tuesday night's match with South Melbourne. FIFA will also decide today whether Beckham's red card has implications for other FIFA competitions such as England internationals.

Beckham was dismissed by referee Horacio Elizondo close to half-time for an ugly studs-up knee-high challenge on the Necaxa defender Jose Milian and provoked a rush of push and shove between the United and Necaxa players in which Beckham was again involved briefly.

Having walked off to loud jeers he returned to more when he took a seat behind the United bench to watch the second half. There Beckham was joined by his manager Alex Ferguson who considered himself also sent off by Elizondo for complaining vocally about a 63rd-minute tackle on Dwight Yorke - though no card was shown to Ferguson - and Beckham was to receive words of sympathy from his manager after.

"I thought the Mexican players got David Beckham sent off," said Ferguson. "The referee reacted to the Mexican players. The challenge was a 50/50 ball and it did not warrant a red card. I was two yards from my seat when the ref did not give us a foul on Dwight Yorke. I lifted my arm and then threw it down. He sent me off for that. I had better not say any more."

Ferguson was prepared to discuss his other players' performance and felt United fully justified their late equaliser. "We were by far the better side in the last 20 minutes and we deserved to win the game," he said. "After playing with 10 men, 1-0 down, it was a great effort.

"I didn't want to take too many risks because you've got to keep the balance right, you do not want to leave yourself open to the counter attack. So we played with three at the back and it worked well. We deserved to get back into it.

"We have to be happy with a point although it means we have to beat Vasco da Gama on Saturday." That task will be a lot harder without David Beckham.