Madrid, Bayern and UCL poor officiating
By Ori Martins
Football fans who are not inclined to Real Madrid have been expressing deep displeasure concerning last night’s epic Champions League tie against Bayern.
At all levels of football competitions, some referees have been acting as kill joy. Since we are talking about Champions League, let us keep the ball within that scope.
Before now, football followers had raised the alarm about what they insisted even alleged was UEFA’s unwitten article of favour for Messi’s Barcelona, at a period.
As if to prove Europe’s referees critics right, what could go down as showing questionable favours to Barcelona took place in March 2011, when then Arsenal striker Robin van Persie, was controversially sent off during a Champions League round of 16 second leg in Spain. His offence was, Persie claimed, he never heard referee Massimo Busacca’s signal for an offside against him in the 56th minute.
Earlier the Swiss official had issued a yellow on Persie for what he considered a vicious tackle on Dani Alves of Barcelona. Persie querried why the referee never looked at the fact that the whistle came amid the noise of 90,000 spectators inside the Camp Nou but the official sent him off.
Following Persie’s sack, Arsenal were doomed as Xavi and Lionel Messi’s goals gave a 4-3 victory aggregate.
In 2009, Tom Henning Ovrebo of Norway was on the cross in a Champions League semifinal encounter against Barcelona. Hard fighting
Chelsea got an exceptional 0-0 draw at Camp Nou during the first leg. In the return tie, Michael Essien had put the Blues ahead on the ninth minute and held on to it till the last two minutes of the injury time.
Meanwhile, the referee never cared about three Chelsea penalty appeals involving Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack even as Gerard Pique’s handball was never ruled as a penalty. In a play of dramatic irony, Essien who got the crucial curtain raiser, made a poor clearance that fell into Andres Iniesta’s leg and that was Barcelona’s equalizer and the coach, Pep Guardiala, in his usual style, went wild in celebration! Barcelona qualified for the final in a most shameful officiating glee.
In 2011, a referee called Stark was strikingly abysmal in his handling of the tension soaked semifinal first leg between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Stark, a German, first sent off midfielder Pepe of Madrid in front of thousands of Real fans at Bernabeu for what the referee tagged a “dangerous tackle” on Dani Alves. As Jose Mourinho could not control his frustration but went straight to the fourth official proclaiming “Well done” and was instantly also sent off.
Of course, with Pepe out and Mourinho not on the technical bench, Barcelona were glorious as Lionel Messi slotted in two late goals to give the Nou Camp side a clearly questionable victory.
Perhaps, Lubos Michel’s mistake in the Liverpool, Chelsea Champions League second leg semifinal game would have accounted for more reasons FIFA adopted VAR as a part of officiating.
After a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool with all their intimidating fans, scored a goal that never crossed the line. Luis Garcia’s shot was almost a goal when Chelsea defender William Gallas cleared on the goal line. Michel signaled it as a goal and that was how Liverpool controversially qualified for the 2005 Champions League final which they also won against AC Milan. Mourinho called Liverpool’s goal “a ghost goal”
There was another game between AC Milan and Barcelona in which the centre referee awarded what non Barcelona fans labeled dubious penalty to the Spanish giants that made them to progress.
The thing is, UEFA referees can be said to always favour Madrid and Barcelona more than other European trams., and the latter gain more than the former whenever both sides clash.
As it is, Barcelona were ultimately called UEFA Team in view of how European referees allegedly gave “technical assistance” to the Nou Camp side and all of it were centred on Messi influence and interest.
So, when the referee never allowed Bayern’s efforts as goal football lovers understand the real facts!. Do not forget that game between PSG and Barcelona, vice versa few years ago where after battering Barca in Paris, the referee in the return leg was accused of manufacturing penalties for the Spanish team at Nou Camp to qualify.
Bad officiating seems to have taken over Europe at the detriment of global soccer fans.
