It is simply such a shame that the result of what was an enthralling encounter by all accounts is overshadowed (yet again) by seemingly injustices handed out and accusations of poor refereeing taking precidence over the actual football.
i dont think there are accusations of poor refereeing. you only had to watch the game to see it WAS poor referreeing.
chelsea were alays on iffy ground untill they scored a second. chelsea were the better team on the night - no contest.
still this happens and we have to move on.
An accusation is an accusation. Rightly or wrongly. The referee was rightly accused of poor refereeing.
I am not knocking anyone for making those accusations, I am merely making the statement that it is a shame that the actual game is not the talking point, but the sideshow of the decisions made during the game.
The ref was awful, it's not even open to discussion. But, he was as bad for both sides and Chelsea should be concentrating on their own wasted chances rather than the mistakes of the ref. I think we've ended up with the best possible final. From what I've seen of the competition, the two teams most likely to play their own game without concentrating on limiting the opposition are through.
Still - I am with the fellow Leeds fan - the big games start this weekend. Come on you Whites!
(Then lose in the final as always)...
I didn't watch the match - who from Barca misses the final?
[smug mode]
If Chelsea had an away goal, they would've gone through
[/smug mode]
[i]chelsea were the better team on the night - no contest. [/i]
Maybe, but Barcelona were better in Spain, so maybe justice was done in the end.
chelsea were the better team on the night - no contest
Not sure about that. They scored an early goal then got men behind the ball. Barcelona were much better in possesion, showed more ambition and deserved at least a draw.
End of the road for the current Arsenal and Chelsea squads. Major changes in the close season me thinks and Wenger may finally call it a day and move on after 14 years.
Yeah there will a big clear out at The Bridge this Summer..Lots of faces will go & quite probably 1 or 2 who you wouldnt expect to see go & 1 or 2 who you wld quite happily see go!
Lots of faces will go, in particular, the plastic fans.
Was that a dig? Bit pathetic mate if it was - Ive been a fan since 1982 & the 1st game I saw we lost 
[img]Platini & Blatter are both v xenphobic towards ANY English side.[/img]
What a load of rubbish. Are you suggesting that the game was fixed, in any way???? 😯 🙄
Suck it up. Chelsea have, yet again, failed in their bid for Yerpean Glory. Blame the ref, the pitch, Mark Lawrenson, whatever you like.
No Yerpan Champions League for youse, this year.
I was impressed with Chelsea, after the 4-4 with Liverpool at the Bridge. I thought they showed more comittment and team spirit than I've ever seen from them. Last night, they 'parked the bus', and were undone right at the death. jolly well have not seen the penalty claim incidents, but considering the amount of diving Dogbra's done over the years, not to mention loads of other incidents where Chelsea players have been underhand, then maybe it's Karma.
Still at least they entertained us. I thought Dogbra and Bollacks tantrums were hilarious! 😆
Uh Rude who you talking to? If it was me then I reckon you had better re-read my post.. 😉
What for?
Its a simple Q - Id just like to know if yr talking to me or not..
mike-at-dialledbikes:End of the road for the current Arsenal [s]and Chelsea[/s] squad[s]s[/s]. Major changes in the close season me thinks and Wenger may finally call it a day and move on after 14 years.
Nah. This season has just been preparation for next season where it will be trophies galore. Just like last season was.....oh wait. 😥
In the first leg, Barca should have had a penalty, and Ballack should have been sent off. And in the second leg, the Barca sending off was very harsh. So yes, bad refereeing, but both teams had their share of poor decisions.
Right. Just seen the 'penalty' claims. RudeBoy Collina's verdict:
1. Who's that, Malouda? He's run into the defender, then gone to ground instantly. Before that, he's tried to brush the defender off, then backed into him deliberately. That's obstruction. Free kick to Barça.
2. Shirt tug, yes, but Dogbra dives, so he's done himself out of a pen. If he din't dive so much, then maybe he'd get more sympathy. Abidal let go of the shirt before he dives. I wooduv booked Dogbra for diving.
3. Might have a claim there. But the ball seemed to spin up, and hit the defender's hand. Could have a case, but there's an equal on for 'ball to hand', too. In fact, Pique's hand seems to be moving away from the ball, possibly. The replays I've seen aren't clear enough, tbh.
4. Get out. Eto'O's turned his back as the kick comes in; the ball hits him in the armpit, ffs. Deffo not hand ball.
Bollack then runs 3000 yards after the referee, to remonstrate. Intimidation of referee; straight red. 18-match ban.
Dogbra's hissy fit at the end: He calls the referee a 'f-ing disgrace'. This, from a man who admitted to diving to get penalties....
Chelsea got what they deserved.
Repack;
Platini & Blatter are both v xenphobic towards ANY English side.
So, are you suggesting the match was 'fixed'?
[url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8037118.stm ]
[/url]In 2005, Swedish referee Anders Frisk was heavily criticised by then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho after Drogba was controversially sent off in the first leg of a last-16 Champions League tie against Barcelona, which the Spanish side won 2-1.Frisk then received death threats and subsequently decided to retire from the game.
At the time, Chelsea issued a statement condemning the actions of those who had abused Frisk.
Police in Ovrebo's home city of Oslo said they would be vigilant over any threats made against the referee.
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."
Rude you are about the only bloke who thinks all the claims are rubbish - just about every sport journo reckons there were at least 2 claims..Are they ALL wrong & your the only one who has it right??? Nice try for a bit of trolling but Im not biting.. Seeya
Ps Re-read my post again purlease...Esp the bit when I said there was nothing Machaviellian going on.... 🙄
I've read your post. You made a contradictory statement.
Have you read any of the Spainish/Catalan press, or seen their TV footage/take on the 'penalty incidents'? Praps they might have a different view to the British press.
Seen the vid again. 3rd one does look like hand ball. something about the way Pique's fingers are outstretched, as if to catch the ball.
2nd one, there is a little tug on Dogbra's shirt, but then Abidal lets go, then gets out of the tackle. Dogbra blatantly dives, as he's lost control of the ball anyway. Shooduv stayed on his feet, and not try to cheat all the bloody time. That one's a case of 'a player seeking to gain an advantage by play-acting', which is actually a bookable offence. It may well have been a pen, but for Dogbra's dive. Tough t1tty.
1st one, Malouda swings a hand towards the defender's face, initially, then deliberately obstructs him a second later. Barges his way into the box, then goes down looking for the penalty. I wooduv pulled it back for a free kick for the obstruction. I don't care what the press are claiming. I'm looking at the rules of the game.
4th one, no chance. Eto'O shits it, and turns to avoid being hit in the face. Instinctive reaction. Ball hits him in the armpit, come on, anyone can see that.
So, one clear cut penalty, by the looks of things. Sod what the biased British press think; RudeBoy's decision is final.
And if Barça had a clear penalty denied last week, then it balances out.
Alright Rude you've made a point - the point being your as biased as the Spanish press 😉 & what was my contradictory statement exactly?
Repack, watch [url=
same replays as the rest of the World[/url], then go and read the rules of the game. I'm not being biased, I'm looking at the situation according [b]the rules.[/b]
1. Malouda's arm comes up, towards the defender's face. That's intent. Then, he checks his run, to block the defender from getting to the ball. That's obstruction. The only mistake the ref has made, is not giving the free kick Barça's way.
2. Dogbra seeks to gain an advantage by play acting. I spose the ref cooduv given a pen for the shirt-tug, and booked Dogbra for diving, but that wooduv been just mental. Had a pen been given, I've no doubt the Spainish press, and some elements of the British press too, been screaming about the dive. I think the ref has punished Dogbra for blatantly diving, by not giving the pen. One of the Referee's jobs is to ensure fair play, and a fair sporting contest. I reckon he's made a decent call on that one. It's Dogbra who should be looking at how his cheating has let him, his team mates and club down.
You're rubbish at arguing. If you're going to take on RudeBoy, at least be able to field your best team, instead of your reserves... 😉
End of the road for the current Arsenal [s]and Chelsea [/s]squads.
[url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8036367.stm ]It's not just the Arsenal squad.[/url]
I'm both appaled and amazed that I agree with Rudeboy's assesment. Only one "clear" penalty.
And as for Jamie Redknapp's little hissy fit in the pundits booth after the game - nice touch to blame the ref for being Norwegian and reffing the Norwegian league.
The Barca red card was also a cheat by Anelka - tripped himself (an old one, that).
So, that's one all on the poor refereeing front, and yet Chelsea lost out on the "shots on target : shots converted" ratio.
I was at the game, I listened to the radio on the way home, I read the reports (both broadsheet & tabloid), Ive seen the replays..You seem to be the only one who thinks the Ref did a good job last night!
Read this:
[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/05bitter_recriminations_at_the_b.html ]Clicky[/url]
And this:
[url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article6237558.ece ]More clicky[/url]
And this:
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/may/07/chelsea-barcelona-spain-newspaper-reaction ]Another clicky[/url]
I dont need to argue when the facts are there to be seen..And lastly will you or will you not tell me what my contradictory statement was???
Personally I think there were 3 that werent given: the 1st on Malouda which was inside the box, the 2nd against DD who if he stayed on his feet a little more probably wld hv got the pen & the 3rd against Pique..However we should have had the game won once they went down to 10 men.
So you jolly well have not actually provided facts, just other people's onions.
The ref was poor, He made mistakes. Refs do. They are human.
He din't give one penalty that shooduv been. The others; I've explained why I think the referee made correct decisions.
And Barça were denied a penalty first leg.
So, you're getting sand in yer knickers over nowt, really. Face it; Chelsea weren't good enough to beat Barca over 2 legs, according to the rules of the game.
You'll get over it. It's a common thing by now, surely, Yerpean disappointment?
Or are you going to bang on and on about it for years, like Chelsea fans do about Garcia's goal (Which wooduv been a pen anyway, had the ref not given it)?
A mate sent me a thing he'd read on a footy forum, after last year's CL Final. Some Chelsea fan was bleating on about how the final should never have been held in a stadium with no roof, as the rain led to JT's penalty miss. Wish I still had the link, it was hilarious.
At this point, with the game now won, I'm bringing off my best players, to save them for the next game.
Might try out a couple of youngsters, give 'em a bit of sperience...
Rude all your doing is posting yr opinions (not facts) - wheres the difference in my posting opinions that I happen to agree with & are put more eloquently than I could..Are you just ducking the fact that the groundswell of opinion is in my favour?? And you still havent answered my question - where in my post was I contradictory?
I provided 3 different sources for you to look at..Did you read any of them? It seems that despite your procrastinations that the brit press is biased in its reporting, even the Spanish press agreed the Ref had a shocker..Are they biased too?
As for your 1st team - not good enough for the Coca Cola mate..
Blimey, that attack on goal by you has led to a corner at your end!
Rude all your doing is posting yr opinions (not facts)
Wrong. I've posted facts, about the [b]rules of the game[/b]. something you seem to want to ignore, in your desire to 'prove' that your team wuz robbed.
I read 2 of your sources; the first one is invalid. 404 error. Offside flag raised.
I'm merely trying to be objective, and have consideration for the actual rules of football, rather than bleating on about refs this and that, like many newspaper reports seem to. And of the Spainish press quoted, some of the onions originate from Madrid sources. So, hardly unbiased!
The contradiction is in your statement about 'nothing being Machavellian', yet then immediately going on to accuse Platini and Blatter of being 'xenophobic' towards English sides. So what are you saying then?
Shot on goal goes out for a throw-in.
I've already stated I thought the ref had a poor game. I was not arguing that point.
Coca Cola? You'd get laughed off Hackney Marshes! 😀
FWIW I'm a Liverpool fan - as in I go the games home and away. I believe the ref did have a stinker and the crop of handle ball decisions could have gone either way - seen loads like that in the Premiership over the years so it's a case of getting on with it. If Chelsea had scored more goals we wouldn't even be discussing it!
The sending off clearly wasn't - Anelka tripped over his own legs but are we as English fans going on about that?
The tackle on Malouda should have been given as a penalty but I believe that's the only clear cut one. You could even see the pitch cut up in the box. Ref - you dropped one.
As for Drogba - he is the biggest cheating player I've ever seen. His sending off cost Chelsea last years cup - his tantrums early season cost his team points - and you call Anelka the sulk! His reputation goes before him, the tackle in the box on him was shirt pulling yes - but enough to put him down? No - he lost control of the ball and he knew the keeper was going get it so he went down - he dived!. He's a big strong player and shouldn't go down that easy. He's like that other great puff - Heskey, any slight breeze and he's over. My dislike for Drogba pleases me they didn't go through but for genuine players like Terry & Lampard I think it's a shame.
I also believe if Jamie Redknapp, who I repsect very much did have a pop at the ref, it was in defence of his family member in the team. I also believe we would all act the same too - no matter how professional we are supposed to be.
So congratulations Barca - hope you stuff the Manc scum pmsl.
So congratulations Barca - hope you stuff the Manc scum pmsl.
Jeebus H C - don't you just despise that sort of attitude? (And no, I am not a Manyuu fan). In fact Leeds are my team, so I could have every bit as much reason to 'hate' them as any 'Pool supporter. Just grow up, support the English team in the final and leave all this schoolyard cr*p behind please.
"Jeebus H C - don't you just despise that sort of attitude? (And no, I am not a Manyuu fan). In fact Leeds are my team, so I could have every bit as much reason to 'hate' them as any 'Pool supporter. Just grow up, support the English team in the final and leave all this schoolyard cr*p behind please."
Um, why should I support Man U in the final? They're not my team, and the club's not even particularly English. I'm just looking forward to a good match.
The ref's had to be smuggled out of the country, following death threats. Will we see another ref give up the game, due to threats from brainless morons? And the actions of some of the Chelsea players will have served only to inflame the situation. In my mind, the ref's made 2 crucial mistakes, but as things panned out, the game finished even, which was probbly about right. Chelsea had one legitimate penalty denied, and Barça had a player sent off because Anelka dived (again). The referee's job is hard enough as it is, for a tiny fraction of the rewards the players get. Drogba and Bollack's behaviour was disgusting and unacceptable. Lengthy bans for both.
Simple solution- ban Chelsea from Yerp for a season or two. If their players and fans can't behave, and show the game respect, then they should be deprived the honour and privilege of competing in Yerp's greatest club competition.
A team that cheats does not in any way deserve owt. Let's hope there's no repeat for the Cup Final.
I had begun to have a bit of respect for Chelsea after the quarter final. Fair play, they came to Anfield and took Liverpool apart. The 4-4 draw...well, that was one of those games. And I felt a lot had been done to repair some of the bad feeling between the sides - you could see genuine respect between the players and (most of) the fans. Liverpool went to Chelsea needing goals, they got some, played as openly as they could but Chelsea equalled them on the night...great game, some great football.
And then this shite from last night. FFS, MFTU and take your beating. They parked the bus in the Nou Camp and expect to go through because of this? What? Eh? A few refereeing decisions don't go your way...[b]one[/b] clear penalty. A good bit of the game against ten men and they still contrive to let the other crowd score an away goal. Nice. As for Drogba...sounds like he's going to be punished anyway and I hope they throw the book at him. Ballack should be punished too for chasing after the ref the way he did. God knows what would have happened if Terry had been there.
I'm delighted it's not two English teams in the final...and lets face it, it's probably the two best sides in Europe fighting it out for the trophy.
Who dares wins.
The ref made 2 mistakes.
1)The Piquet handball was a pen
2)The sending off. Anelkas inability to stay on his feet is his own problem.
Ballack should have walked too so make it 3.
Barca deserved the win but I was gutted for Chelsea.
Who dares wins.
Well put. Usually true when it comes to the business end of the UCL.
Although, can anyone remember that awful Red Star side that won the old EC having played for pens the whole game ? Packed full of talented players too IIRC
I hear that "last minute.com" is Chelsea's new shirt sponsor.
Can anyone recommend a good satnav? I think mine is buggered. I just typed in Chelsea and it said it was only 2 minutes from Rome!
In all seriousness though, its not the first time that the Spanish have helped out the Italians by preventing the mongol hordes from sacking Rome.
Yes but they are YOUR interpretations of the rules of the game...Doesnt make you right though does it? The rules are open to interpretation..
Personally Im siding with the majority of the sport journos who think the CFC should have had at LEAST 2 pens..Im not ignoring the rules of the game, I just dont agree with your interpretation of them. I have a friend within the PL Ref circle, I will speak to him & see what he thinks. He is an ex 1st Div Ref & used to coach a number of PL refs.
And finally, you answered my question. I do believe that nothing sinister was present last night, nothing at all honestly. But, I do believe that Blatter & Platini have an anti PL bias..I think most fans would agree that. At no point did I say there was a "plot" against CFC.
Probably the most unfortunate player in this piece is the Ref. If UEFA were to move with the times & embrace modern tech then perhaps we wldnt have these problems. After all, most sports today use video tech in some aspect e.g. Tennis, Rugby, Cricket, the Olympics, Horse Racing has been doing it for years!
Probably the most unfortunate player in this piece is the Ref. If UEFA were to move with the times & embrace modern tech then perhaps we wldnt have these problems.
Personally, I don't think the ref got things wrong because he didn't see them properly (apart from Anelka tripping himself up), he got them wrong because of poor interpretation on the handballs and because he bottled the Alves decision. A poor choice by UEFA, clearly out of his depth.
Yes but they are YOUR interpretations of the rules of the game...Doesnt make you right though does it? The rules are open to interpretation..
You're getting boring now. You go and talk to your mate. I dare say the ref at the game last night might be a tad more suited to the game, than you or I. UEFA don't tend to chose crap refs too often, for such important games.
Personally Im siding with the majority of the sport journos who think the CFC should have had at LEAST 2 pens.
Who aren't referees, either. So their onions or no more valid than yours or mine. Their job is to sell stories; 'Controversial' decisions make for more exciting copy.
Dry your eyes. Shit happens. Get over it, and move on.
And if you want to see what a CL trophy looks like, I believe Liverpool and Man U's trophy rooms have a couple... 😉
[img] 
[/img]
I'm a qualified - albeit no longer active - referee. My 2p
The Ref was poor - very poor.
1/ The Malouda free kick / penalty - that was bottled. First contact outside the box, but the foul that he finally gave was inside. That would have taken a strong decision to give it though, and giving the freekick outside was probably judicious application of Law 18.
2/ Drogba and the shirt pull. Clear penalty, since according to the laws holding or pulling is a foul and according to the IBD (international board decision) is also a mandatory caution. Again, harsh but they are the laws. Unfortunately Drogba's theatricals don't accentuate the offence, they mask it.
3/ Anelka foul /sending off. I can see this both ways, may have been a trip, may have been two guys simply catching feet running for the same ball, but again, Anelka has gone on a stride or two before going down. In my mind at the time I thought foul, in replay he could easily have gone on and had a clear run on goal. Why did he opt to go down - did he bottle having the clear chance?
4/ The first handball. Yes, I think that was clearly missed. Might not have been absolutely deliberate but was enough to convince me.
5/ The Eto'o handball. Can't see that; he had his back turned, it hasn't hit an extended / upraised arm, and even in replay it took a while before I was convinced it was arm as opposed to shoulder blade. That would have been incredibly hard to give and as a referee at that point of the game and competition you're only going to give the decision you are 100.0% convinced you have right.
And while we're at this point, might I point out that there are no rules of the game; it's rules of the competition, like 2 legs, away goals, etc. The game is played according to the laws, and anyone quoting the 'rules' clearly hasn't actually read the Laws.
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html
Try reading them - you might be surprised particularly by some interpretations / IBD's
Laws/rules same thing! 🙂
Good to have a proper ref to give an onion..
Re the Dogbra dive; in the clips I've seen, it's possible there was another player who may have obstructed the referee's clear view of the shirt pull. I doubt the linesman would have had a clear view either. The referee can only make a decision based on what he/she sees, or what their assistants inform them of. From where the ref was, he would possibly have only seen Dogbra diving. Let's face it, Dogbra is notorious for cheating, and has admitted as much, so he's his own worst enemy in that one. Karma.
The laws of competition state that the referee's decision is final, no? Therefore, it is irrelevant what anyone else actually thinks. Although the ref had a poor game, I believe that he did his job as well as he possibly cooduv, so people should get off his back.
Whatever mistakes he may have made (2, really), this is nothing compared to the actions of certain Chelsea players, who have brought the game into disrepute.
And therefore do not deserve a big shiny cup.
Maybe they can console themselves one of these:
[img] 
[/img]
In all cases (unless you subscribe to these ridiculous conspiracy theories) the ref will only give what he sees, and as I've further said late on in a tense game with all that at stake, he'll only give what he is convinced is right.
It is entirely possible he didn't see any of the incidents clearly, but in turn that points to poor refereeing / positioning / inadequate instruction to his assistants about what he want them to watch for and so on.
Simply put - he actually got most of the major decisions wrong and that's why i would judge him as poor last night. He doesn't deserve the abuse /death threats but also he has to be accountable for his performance which was not up to standard, and certainly not for a game of that importance.
And as for Laws and Rules. They are different - end of. And any more backchat and I'll be getting my book out 😆