Reactions: Were Chelsea Wronged By The Referee In The Semi-Finals?

Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba and the handballs were some of the incidents which have left a scar on Chelsea fans which would be redeemed only if they do manage to enter the Champions League finals and win it. For now, they have to remain content with the FA Cup where they still have a chance to winning it.

Even the most biased football follower would agree that Chelsea did deserve at least one of the many penalty shouts they had. But yes, if one watches the play over the two legs there were some decisions which didn’t go Barcelona’s way either. The Thierry Henry penalty shout, Michael Ballack being lucky not to have been sent-off and the contentious red card to Eric Abidal.

Some have stated that Abidal would have been sent-off before in the game when he had appeared to foul Drogba but that too would have been harsh on the referee’s part.

The post-match discussions have gone on to a new level. Conspiracy theories have been doing the rounds that maybe Michel Platini and company didn’t want another all-English final and hence had a contentious referee to officiate the game. Add to this, the tabloid reports of the UEFA website having the final score reading 1-1 hours before the semi-final at Stamford Bridge actually commenced.

The conspiracy theory is hard to digest as both sides were wronged over the two legs. It was just another day of some poor refereeing but it was the impact which called for such reactions.

If there’s one team who has been eyeing the Champions League trophy for the last five years or so, only one name comes to mind – Chelsea. Ever since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich took over, the motive has been domestic and more so, continental glory.

Money was pumped in and in came some of the biggest names over to West London. In the first year, they lost in the semi-final under Claudio Ranieri and then followed the disappointment of going down to Liverpool with the ‘ghost goal of Luis Garcia’ or ‘the goal that came from moon’ as described by Jose Mourinho.

Thereafter, there was an early exit which was followed by a penalty shoot-out disappointment against Liverpool. Last season, they did manage to ward off their blues and entered the finals only to lose in the tie-breaker. Things couldn’t have gone worse for the club and more importantly, for the players. To see their dream of having a Champions League winners’ medal was brushed aside by a late Andres Iniesta goal which left them stupefied as to why the penalty decision didn’t go in their favour.

The frustrations were apparent and it didn’t come as a surprise that some players were seen barking at the referee, which was highly unprofessional. Many feel that Chelsea have got what they was earlier meted out to the Catalan giants when John Terry scored a late winner which appeared questionable to many with some pushing and tugging. The ‘Karma’ theory has been in news to explain this...

However, had Chelsea converted the chances which came their way in the twin leg semi-finals, they would have been through. None would disagree that Didier Drogba was in his best form coming into the Champions League semis and it was the Ivory Coast international who had the best chances in the 180 minutes. Drogba wouldn’t have been very disappointed with his missed chances as he, as all Chelsea fans, considered Michael Essien’s goal to be enough. One man who would have felt having let down his side for the missed opportunities would have to be Drogba and the ‘f*&^ing disgrace’ comment was a way to vent.

The arguments have been taken to another level with Premier League fans squaring against those of La Liga. ‘Chelsea never played good football and never deserved to go,’ wrote one while the other said, Barcelona deserved as they showed attacking intent and didn’t bore’.

The La Liga fans have been voicing that pure entertaining and uninhibited football was what Barcelona put on show unlike Chelsea who were too negative in their approach and were punished for the same ‘cautious style’.

The Premier League fans have stated that plain passing and not being able to create a clear cut chance isn’t something to be proud of. Chelsea played according to a plan and it almost clicked had it not been for the referee and of course, Iniesta. Football isn’t about attacking throughout the 90 minutes but being defensively compact is also part of the game. It’s the results which matter at the end of the day and not the style; something which Arsenal have exemplified over the last four seasons.

And the arguments go on....    

Rahul Bali.