Blue Murder at Stamford Bridge
Guest Article by Drew Frey
1-1 Draw Overshadowed by Lack of Penalties, Schoolboy Tantrums and Abysmal Officiating
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the last few days you have undoubtedly heard of the UEFA Champions League fiasco that occurred last Wednesday. Chelsea looked to avenge last year’s defeat on penalties by Manchester United after Michael Essien’s stunning ninth-minute volley, but Andres Iniesta snatched a 93rd-minute equalizer to book Barcelona’s place in the final against United in Rome.
There is no doubt that Tom Henning Ovrebo left his contacts in his Oslo home before flying to England. The Norseman missed four clear penalties — one for a foul on Florent Malouda by Dani Alves, another by Eric Abidal on Drogba, and two handball shouts against Gerard Pique and Samuel Eto’o —that will surely enter him into football’s all time ‘Worst Ref’ list.
Barcelona’s defender Gerard Pique admitted that the ball touched his hand but said: ‘The ref can decide what he wants and he decided it was not a penalty. Sometimes the decision is wrong but I am just happy to qualify for the final.’
However it was Didier Drogba’s foul-mouthed outburst at Ovrebo at the end of time that stole the show and has prompted the European governing body to consider potential sanctions. As the Norwegian walked past Drogba, the Chelsea striker shouted into a television camera: ‘Are you watching this? It’s a disgrace! It is a **** disgrace!’ Not to be outdone Michael Ballack ran around the pitch chasing Ovrebo which was appalling and idiotic. These men might be experienced on the pitch, but they couldn’t have acted more childish and unprofessional if they had tried. Their actions have set an awful example for young up and coming football stars.
Barcelona’s coach Pep Guardiola was proud of his squad, praising their ability to battle back despite having Eric Abidal sent off it the 66th minute. But Pep will need more than high praise come May 27th. Barcelona will be facing quite possibly the best team in all of Europe and maybe the world. To make matters worse Barca will be at a severe disadvantage too with goal scoring Iniesta potentially on the bench with a reoccurring thigh injury he picked up on Sunday against Villarreal and Thierry Henry sidelined for the next 4 games with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. One this is for sure, this Champions League final will be one for the ages.
