ONCE they were the respective captains of Blackburn Rovers and Burnley, but now Ryan Nelsen has been fined by the MLS after offering his support to Steven Caldwell.

Nelsen is Caldwell’s boss at MLS side Toronto and was unhappy when the defender was sent off for a high tackle against Sporting Kansas City.

"If they gave Steven a yellow, nobody would have blinked an eyelid," Nelsen said.

"But because (referee Baldomero Toledo) has set a precedent throughout his refereeing career that he always likes to influence games, he decided to give a red for what was really a yellow card."

Nelsen has now been fined an undisclosed amount by the MLS for those comments.