Deja Blues! Chelsea have history of ref rants against Barcelona - just ask Mr Frisk

07 May 2009 16:31
Unfortunately, we've been here before. [LNB]Didier Drogba's furious tirade at Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo had echoes of another shameful incident involving Chelsea and a match official. [LNB]Back in 2005, with the opponents once again Barcelona, Swedish referee Anders Frisk retired from football after threats were aimed at him and his family. [LNB]Frisk, who had 27 years experience, caused outrage in west London after refereeing Barca's controversial 2-1 first-leg Champions League win over Chelsea. [LNB][LNB][LNB] Red alert: The Drogba sending off was one flashpoint of the 2005 clash between Chelsea and Barcelona that led to Frisk calling time on his career[LNB]Chelsea manager at the time, Jose Mourinho, accused Barca boss Frank Rijkaard of speaking to Frisk at half-time and angrily questioned the decision to send off Drogba in the second half. [LNB]Frisk detailed the increasing harassment and intimidation he suffered following his performance at the Nou Camp and was accused of favouritism and poor judgement towards Barca by Mourinho. [LNB]'I've been subjected to things that I couldn't even imagine,' said Frisk at the time. 'I love to referee and I have done it since 1978, but what has happened to me over the last 16 days means it is not worth continuing. [LNB]'I won't ever go out on a football pitch again. I am too scared. It is not worth it. Unfortunately that is the way fooball looks in 2005. I've had enough. I don't even dare let my kids go to the post office. [LNB][LNB][LNB] Point made: Drogba gets up close and personal with referee Ovrebo[LNB]'These past 16 days have been the worst of my life as a referee,' he continued. 'There have been threats on the telephone and via email and post and my family have also been threatened. [LNB]'I have a big family and I have been worried - anything can apparently happen.'[LNB] Bo Karlsson, chairman of Sweden's referees' association, criticised Chelsea for their vilification of Frisk. [LNB]Speaking at the time, Karlsson said: 'Managers and the rest of the staff have got to act a lot more responsibly than the players. The players behave just like their leaders.'[LNB] Chelsea's frustration following the events of last night is understandable, but when reports emerged this morning of death threats directed at Ovrebo the players have to realise that their actions directly influence supporters. [LNB][LNB][LNB] A right Ballacking: Chelsea midfielder Ballack has a go at Ovrebo[LNB]Michael Ballack and Drogba should be ashamed of their actions. Captain John Terry's public backing of Drogba also left a bad taste in the mouth. [LNB]Ovrebo fled the tunnel after the game to seek refuge and was smuggled out of the country this morning after receiving a number of death threats. [LNB]Chelsea's players and staff cannot and should not be responsible for the actions of a mindless minority, but must accept that they have a responsibility to the game as a whole and last night's scenes at the final whistle were totally unacceptable. [LNB]The safety of a referee and their family should never be in doubt because of a football match. It is, after all, only a game.  [LNB] GRAHAM POLL WEBCHAT: Were Chelsea robbed? Does Darren Fletcher deserve to have his red card rescinded? UEFA confirm Drogba could be facing action - if ref makes official complaintBosingwa takes back ref 'thief' claim but admits Chelsea are furious after Barca heartbreakChelsea old boy Eidur had sympathy for former team-mates after Barca gave them the BluesLampard kicked in the teeth over Chelsea's Champions League exitPICTURE SPECIAL: Chelsea stars hit the town after crashing out of the Champions LeagueCheated out: Foul-mouthed Drogba rages as ref denies furious Chelsea FOUR penaltiesFOOTBALL'S HEARTBREAKERS - tell us about the day your dreams diedHiddink stands by Drogba with UEFA set to probe Chelsea striker's ref rageChelsea's calamity ref has been ditched by FIFA before - 10 things you didn't know about Norwegian official Ovrebo Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1: Blue murder at the Bridge as Iniesta strikes lateGRAHAM POLL: The referee was wrong, but you can't behave like that...CHELSEA FC

Source: Daily_Mail