Good Morning Football
By: Francois L.
Good Morning Football, Good Morning Football fans,
Although Barcelona's match against Arsenal in the return leg of the Champions League was another brilliant performance by the Blaugrana, all of their deserved credit was put aside, the referee was blamed for Arsenal's defeat and comments by Wenger, Nasri and van Persie made wednesday's headlines. It is an understatement to claim that Premier League teams have been the most consistent in the Champions League over the past five or six years, but it seems this consistency is not admired by everyone. Over the last two years, referees have made strange decisions against Premier League clubs, leading the fans and even players or club officials to claim conspiracy against the Premier League. Since the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea in 2008 (three Premier League clubs were in the semi-final), it could indeed be possible that football's governing bodies decided to stop the dominion of the Premier League in the European Cup. I have picked out three Champions League games in which refereeing decisions led to the exit of Premier League clubs.
1)
Chelsea - Barcelona, Semi-Final 2009 (1-1 at Stamford Bridge)
Referee: Tommy Ovrebo
Chelsea could have had a second chance in the final against Manchester United, had the referee made decisions that seemed blatant to all onlookers. Four penalties could have been awarded to the Blues on that night, three of which were absolutely flagrant. Anyone who watched the game will remember Ballack's symbolic reaction to the last uncalled penalty, chasing down the referee across half the pitch, as well as Drogba's "it's a f***ing disgrace" remarks about the game. These "mistakes" by Ovrebo led to Chelsea losing the semi-final 1-1 on aggregate, sending Barcelona to the final in Rome, which they ended up winning against Manchester United.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDe5_W_P1WA
2)
Manchester United - Bayern Munich, Quarter Final 2010 (3-2 at Old Trafford)
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli
What if Rafael had still been on the pitch at the 74th minute when Ribery delivered the corner? Would Robben have scored his brilliant volley had Rafael been on the pitch? Probably not. Rafael's exclusion by the referee at the 50th minute meant that by the time Robben struck his volley, van der Sar's right post was left uncovered. Don't take anything from the goal though, it was real master class, to say the least. But the referee did not need to book Rafael for his foul on Ribery. Yes he was already on a yellow card and it was a stupid foul, but it was not worth a second yellow. Looking back at the referee's reaction, he does not seem to be pulling out his cards at all, at least not until four Bayern players surrounded him. Only then does he start nodding in agreement with the Bayern players who were asking for a second yellow, and sends Rafael back to the changing rooms. What about Ribery's violent reaction to Rafael's foul in the first place? Why was Ribery not booked or at least warned by Rizzoli for violently pushing back Rafael with his elbow? The game was conditioned from the 50th minute and Bayern went on to win the game 4-4 on aggregate.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwuMMt2tJK0
3)
Barcelona - Arsenal, Round of Sixteen 2011 (3-1 at Camp Nou)
Referee: Massimo Busacca
"With 95,000 people jumping up, how can I hear his whistle?". Robin van Persie was clearly disgusted by his red card against Barcelona, especially after being told after the game that only 1 second separated the referee's whistle from his shot. Also, what clearly proves that van Persie was not the only one who did not hear the referee's whistle is that Abidal did not stop. He clearly kept challenging van Persie until the ball went out for a goal kick. Valdes also did not stop making himself big in front of his line at any point. That second yellow card is probably one of the most undeserved and ridiculous yellow cards in Champions League history. Although it is not certain that Arsenal would have managed to go through with van Persie on the field, what is certain is that by the time the Dutchman was forced down the tunnel, the game was still drawn at 1-1, Arsenal having the aggregate advantage. Van Persie's red card definitely had an impact on Arsenal's game, and the referee's decision was absolutely outrageous.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ0gkloaINY
The referee is always the first criticized, insulted and blamed for making the wrong decisions. What we must not forget is the role of the other referees. During Chelsea-Barcelona in 2009, sideline referees could and should have lifted their flags at least once for a foul committed in the box. During Barcelona-Arsenal, two extra referees (sideline and goal-line) as well as the central referee must have seen that van Persie did not kick the ball deliberately to waste time. Such match situations have led to the emergence of conspiracy theories against the Premier League.
The Chelsea-Barcelona game was just the start of that list of suspicious games and there are no signs that make me think it is not going to be extended. What is clear is that refereeing decisions over the last two Champions League campaigns have not helped Premier League teams in their European adventures at all. We shall see whether an English club reaches the Champions League final this year, and if not, it could mean an extension to the list of conspiracy.
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