Referee received death threats smuggled out of London

charlize SG

Now Chelsea will realise the importance of an away goal.

They should have opted to try to score an away goal in the first leg instead of playing so defensively then.

Haiz.

limpper SG

good job barca

Rock^Star SG

seriously, only 1 penalty appeal was valid: the pique handball and even that was 50-50.

Drogba being a frequent diver when under mourinho has the cheek to call the ref a fucking disgrace? haha. He ever admitted that it would be perfectly fine to go under the slightest of touches. This is to make the most out of a tackle. I wouldnt disagree with that but for these words to come out of his mouth is out of this world.

charlize SG

To lose by a last minute goal always pisses the losing team off very much.

Let alone a CL semi final.

But life goes on.

youyayu SG

To lose by a last minute goal always pisses the losing team off very much.

Let alone a CL semi final.

But life goes on.

i just hope during the time of terry/lampard they will be able to win 1..

zocoss SG

Rage: Michael Ballack confronts Tom Henning Ovrebo after the referee dismisses a penalty claim

Jose Bosingwa has claimed a refereeing 'conspiracy' caused Chelsea's acrimonious Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Barcelona.

'It seems he was told to be against Chelsea,' the Blues defender claimed in an interview with Portuguese broadcaster RTP.

'I do not know if he is a referee or a thief. There are no words to describe the person that was on the pitch here. 'The way he refereed the match was not the most correct one. He should never referee again. There is nothing to say about Barcelona's goal, but there were penalties that were not awarded.'

Didier Drogba launched a foul-mouthed tirade at the official at the final whistle of the 1-1 draw. He faces censure by UEFA, who will no doubt also be seeking explanation of Bosingwa's hint at a conspiracy against Chelsea and the call for Ovrebo to end his refereeing career.

The official was smuggled out of Britain under police guard this morning after a series of death threats. At the end of the match Ovrebo was the victim of abuse from Chelsea players and was forced to run from the tunnel to seek refuge on the pitch.

Police were so concerned about his safety that they changed his hotel before organising his secret exit from Britain.

Police in Ovrebo’s home city of Oslo said they were investigating threats made on the internet, which has been flooded with messages including the referee’s address and warnings that fans will 'hunt him' and 'kill him'.

An Oslo police spokesman said: 'We are watching closely what is being posted on the internet. Anything we believe would threaten his personal safety will be taken seriously.'

Former international referee and Sportsmail columnist Graham Poll said: 'This morning he’s being smuggled out of our country under police escort — this is a referee of a football match. That is a disgrace.

'When he booked in a hotel they had to change the hotel he was staying at because of the fear that maybe fans would find him.'

Pointing the finger: Chelsea star Frank Lampard takes issue with referee Tom Henning Ovrebo

Poll blamed the players for stoking the fans’ anger. 'When you see players acting like that, fans are called fans because they are fanatics — they may feel it’s time to take action themselves,' he said.

He described Drogba and Ballack’s behaviour as 'a dreadful display of petulance', adding that stewards at Chelsea had failed to step in quickly enough to protect the referee. 'Players should show some restraint. They should show some respect.'

The campaign against Ovrebo has echoes of the case of Anders Frisk, a referee who faced a hate campaign after another Chelsea-Barcelona match.

Chelsea’s coach at the time, Jose Mourinho, accused him of 'adulterating' the outcome of a match. Frisk eventually quit as a referee.

Chelsea internet fans’ forums posted Ovrebo's address and threats against him. On Facebook, several groups were created by this morning dedicated to abusing the referee, including one titled 'Kill Tom Henning Ovrebo'.

Flashback: Anders Frisk was hounded out of the game after criticism he received in refereeing Barcelona-Chelsea in 2005.

The creator of one group states: 'We group dedicated to the hunt for (and brutal murdering of) the second-leg champions league ref of Chelsea vs Barcelona.'

Mr Ovrebo was pursued into the players’ tunnel by Drogba and Ballack with the Ivorian hitting the wall with his fist as abuse was screamed at the official.The witness said one player shouted: 'Tell the world that UEFA didn’t want Chelsea in the final.'

Ovrebo, 42, works as a psychologist outside football. In Euro 2008, the Italian Football Federation demanded an apology from UEFA after he controversially ruled out a goal by Luca Toni in Italy’s match against Romania.

Afterwards, Ovrebo admitted he had made a mistake and was not assigned any more tournament matches.

jgho83 SG

If I am the Chelsea players, I will probably give the referee many pieces of my mind too.

Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1) SG

Lolx i see the Ballack face like Saying

WTF man fck u refree

sand king SG

Cool, a new dance routine?

Crimsom SG

the ballack penalty is the worst penalty claim la.. he just wanna anyhow shoot on target then the eto' trying to use his back to block and the ball hit onto somewhere between the arms and the shoulder. also not deliberate handball.. then he still appeal till like that..

In epl this kind of claim sure turn down one.. he still behave like a mad dog.. dumbass

at least the pique handball more legitimate..

Y_Shun SG

i think u need to know its CL. not EPL.

standard of referering shld be DIFFERENT.

HeiHao SG

that should be a penalty...... a pity chelsea lost the cl semifinal on away goal and a dumb botak referee.

HyuugaNeji SG

good that chelsea lost. Losing to manutd twice in the final will be a terrible experience.

zocoss SG

Chelsea full-back Jose Bosingwa says he now regrets calling referee Tom Henning Ovrebo "a thief" and has retracted his comments.

In a statement issued on behalf of the player to the Portuguese media, Bosingwa said: "We were all very disappointed and frustrated after the game, but I regret describing the referee as a thief. Having had some time to reflect I would like to withdraw those comments."

Bosingwa had labelled Ovrebo a "thief" after the Norwegian's decisions in last night's Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona.

Andres Iniesta's stoppage-time equaliser saw Barca progress to the final of Europe's premier club competition but Chelsea claimed they could have had four penalties.

Bosingwa originally laid the blame for the Blues' failure to reach their second successive final squarely at the official's door.

"I don't know if he's a referee or a thief," he told Portuguese television station RTP. "I don't have any words to describe that man that was on the pitch. "We have nothing against Barcelona's goal but the penalties that he didn't give us and his way of managing the game weren't right at all.

"This referee should never referee a game again. What happened was a disgrace. "It was a well contested game but the referee came to spoil our game."

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