Chelsea vs Barcelona Referee Sent Death Threats Now Living Very Different Life
Chelsea host Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night and the referee will be hoping for a less eventful evening that the meeting between the two sides on May 6, 2008.
Slavko Vincic of Slovenia has been appointed the man in the middle for the fixture, with his compatriots Tomaz Klancnik, Andraz Kovacic and David Smajc supporting him.
Chelsea vs Barcelona is an iconic game in Champions League history, with both involved in so many dramatic clashes in Europe's premier club competition.
One came in 2008 in one of two Champions League semi-finals between the two sides, with Andres Iniesta scoring a last-gasp equaliser to send 10-man Barcelona into the final in Rome on away goals.
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Michael Essien had opened the scoring with a thunderous volley in the second leg but Chelsea were furious after having a host of penalty appeals waved away by Tom Henning Ovrebo - including strong handball shouts Gerard Pique and Samuel Eto'o.
A livid Michael Ballack chased the Norweigian, while Didier Drogba screamed "It’s a disgrace! It’s a f****** disgrace!" down the TV camera after the final whistle and got himself a six-game ban.
What happened after the Chelsea refereeing controversy?
Jose Bosingwa, meanwhile, was suspended four games for calling the referee a "thief" after manager Guus Hiddink said his side had been "robbed".
Chelsea were fined £85,000 and Ovrebo, who received a police escort afterwards, was subjected to death threats.
He did continue to referee in the Champions League but the infamous incident, as well as a mistake Bayern Munich versus Fiorentina, eventually led to him being taken away from officiating a the highest level.
Instead, he refereed in his native Norway and after suffering an 2012 injury which he had to try and push through, Ovrebo called it a day in 2013.
Living in hometown Oslo, he proceeded to become a psychologist, working at the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences and building on his university studies from many years ago.
Assessing the Chelsea controversy in a 2022 interview, he told the Daily Mail: "I don't think the Chelsea supporters are correct when they claim four of five penalties, but I think everybody that knows football and the laws of the game knows there should have been a penalty given.
"That happens, especially before VAR. Sometimes you miss a penalty, sometimes you miss a red card or a crucial decision. And I think everybody that knows football knows there should have been a penalty.
"They can speculate themselves which ones should have been a penalty. I will not give you a correct answer on that because I don't have the correct answer, I just have my perception of it."
He added: I"n a match like that when you have so many penalty appeals, sometimes as a referee you get concerned about not being fooled by the team. So maybe that could have influenced my perception in a negative way.
"That could be it. I don't know for sure, I'm just speculating with you. That could be one kind of explanation, that you don't want to seem like a referee that is pressured to give a penalty. So then maybe you perceive the situation more strictly in a way.
"If I had VAR in that match I'm sure some of the calls would have been different. But I can't go around reflecting on my performance as long as I did my best. I can learn from it and that was maybe the most important thing, but for me I can't go around and regret some of my calls. I made other mistakes during my 40 years as a referee and I can't regret all of them."
Barcelona went on to beat Manchester United 2-0 in an incident-free final but Chelsea finally became European champions in 2012 in Munich.
After defeating Barca 3-2 on aggregate with a late Fernando Torres goal, Drogba scored the last-minute leveller against Bayern in their own stadium and then rolling in the winning penalty.
Chelsea claimed a second European crown in 2021 when they beat Manchester City with a Kai Havertz strike at the end of the first half.
In their return to the competition this season, the Blues are 12th in the table with two wins, one draw and one loss from their opening four games.
Topics: Chelsea, FC Barcelona
Josh Lawless