Mickey Mouse display? Tom Henning Ovrebo
Graham Poll was once one of the
leading referees in the world. He has officiated in a Champions
League semi final, but has also endured the dark side of the trade.
Who would be a referee? Here he gives a unique insight into the
world of a referee on the run...
I have been smuggled out of a stadium in Slovenia under a
blanket like a common criminal, been surrounded and threatened by
Russian players and also had death threats sent to my home. Welcome
to the world of international refereeing.
Those were some of my experiences and now Tom Henning Ovrebo is
finding out how unpopular you can be for making honest mistakes in
a high-profile game, for which he was paid £5,000.
So how would you react to being hounded on the field by
crazed players, using their athletic build to intimidate you, while
the route to your dressing room is blocked by a maniacal
international who thumps the wall to frighten the life out of you,
resulting in you having to return to the field to seek refuge?
There is a relief when you eventually escape the claustrophobic
feel of the stadium, being whisked away in a blacked-out people
carrier to head for what you hope is the safety of your hotel, only
to see a posse of media in hot pursuit.
Ovrebo's hotel was changed in an attempt to afford him some
protection, and his personal effects were transferred for him. Past
midnight, he was checked into a new hotel and advised that a flight
home was being changed, and that the police were advising on a safe
passage through the airport. All this because of a bad day at the
office.
You now have a few hours to spend with your colleagues, two
assistants and your fourth official. Sleep is out of the question
as you slowly replay the key incidents in your mind. Did you have a
nightmare of a game? How badly did the referee assessor feel you
performed? Will you ever be trusted with a big UEFA match
again?
You want to phone home but don't want to disturb your family in
the middle of the night and there is then a period of a couple of
hours which you spend alone when the reality of the situation hits
you. Then you start to get angry, very angry. How can it be that as
a result of a refereeing performance your life could be affected so
much?
You recall the fate of Anders Frisk, the exceptionally talented
Swedish referee who felt hounded out of the game following his own
Barcelona v Chelsea debacle. Please don't let this happen to me,
you think.
Our own Graham Poll is no stranger to being hounded
by Didier Drogba and co...
Finally the clock crawls around to 7.45am, 12 hours
since you blew your whistle to start the biggest game of your
career. You were full of hope and excitement for what you hoped was
a going to be a great game of football. Sure, there were nerves but
UEFA apppointing you to such an important game meant that you took
to the field with confidence.
Finally you manage to speak to your family at home and reassure
them that you are fine but that they should take care as there will
be huge interest and intrusion into family life.
Talk of UEFA attempting to influence a referee to avoid another
all English final is ludicrous. I was one of UEFA's top group of
referees for 10 seasons and handled many high-profile and volatile
matches and I was never approached with a view to preferring any
team.
One question that does need an answer is why this match was
assigned to the Norweigan No 1 referee, whose lack or regular
exposure to games of the magnitude of Chelsea versus Barcelona
could well have contributed to his flawed performance.
Mind you, last year's Champions League final in Moscow was
refereed very well by Lubos Michel from Bratislava and I am not
sure that he was regularly tested by the Slovakian National league
games.