Didier Drogba is facing a lengthy ban from Uefa competitions for repeatedly abusing the referee in the aftermath of Chelsea’s heartbreaking Champions League exit last night.
A 20-yard drive from Andrés Iniesta in the third minute of injury time took Barcelona through to the final on the away goals rule after a 1-1 draw on a cruel, combustible night at Stamford Bridge. They will play Manchester United in Rome on May 27.
The Ivory Coast striker ran from his position on the substitutes’ bench to remonstrate with Tom Henning Ovrebo, the Norwegian referee, after the final whistle, along with several of his team-mates, and was eventually booked.
In front of a huge worldwide television audience, Drogba then called the referee — who later admitted to Uefa officials that he had made mistakes — a “f***ing disgrace” on several occasions, while he also appeared to abuse Guus Hiddink as Chelsea’s interim manager and several stewards attempted to force the Ivory Coast striker off the pitch.
“I can fully understand Didier’s reaction — full of emotion, full of adrenalin,” Hiddink said. “People say he should be in control. The time a player goes beyond emotion to start hitting, that’s wrong, but I can fully understand his emotion. I will protect him.”
Chelsea’s angry players suggested that an anti-English conspiracy was behind Ovrebo’s decision to reject four penalty appeals, but their frustration is unlikely to provide sufficient mitigation for Drogba’s conduct.
An eyewitness reported that Drogba’s histrionics continued in the tunnel, where several Chelsea players are understood to have surrounded the referee while complaining that Uefa had been anxious to avoid another all-English final.
It was even claimed that Drogba slapped a wall in frustration, though there were no suggestions that he aimed any physical violence at the official.
Hiddink condemned Ovrebo’s performance in the strongest possible language for a man known as a diplomat, though he stopped short of questioning his neutrality. The Dutchman is unlikely to be mollified by the revelation two hours after the final whistle that Ovrebo admitted to the Uefa match delegate that he had made significant errors.
Of Chelsea’s four most strident penalty claims, two appeared undeniable, when Florent Malouda was pulled down by Daniel Alves in the first half and Gerard Piqué handled in the second. “Conspiracy is a very tough word and you have to prove it,” Hiddink said. “I don’t want to go with that tough word. It was said in the build-up that it would be nice to have a repetition of last year’s final, but I can only say what I see.
“I cannot say if Uefa would not like another all-English final. What I’m sure about that, in big games like this, you need top-notch referees. Players make many mistakes, coaches makes mistakes and referees can make mistakes. But if you have seen three or four situations waved away, then it’s the worst I have seen. At this moment I’d have to think a lot if I have seen worse.”
John Terry also spoke up for Drogba after protesting alongside him in the tunnel. The Chelsea captain demonstrated his sportsmanship, however, visiting the Barcelona dressing-room to offer his congratulations on a passage to the final that they barely deserved given they had only one shot on target during the entire match after falling behind in the ninth minute to a superb goal from Michael Essien.
“I’m fully behind Didier, the way he reacted,” Terry said. “You can see the passion he played with in the game and afterwards. But the fact is the referee is the one who should face the consequences, not Didier and not us by not going through.”
Piqué admitted that the ball touched his hand from Nicolas Anelka’s shot in the second half, while Pep Guardiola, the Barcelona coach, conceded that Chelsea were right to feel disappointed with the referee.
Piqué, who will face his former club in the final, said: “To be fair, the ball touched my hand. I didn’t want it to, but it did. The referee decided it wasn’t a penalty. Sometimes it’s wrong, but you have to respect the decision of the referee.”
“I can understand that Chelsea can be disappointed about the performance of the referee,” Guardiola — who saw Eric Abidal, his central defender, sent off in the 66th minute for a professional foul on Anelka — said.
“We just tried to win the game, to keep the ball and create chances. We didn’t create too many. It was difficult for us to do that, but I have a lot of faith in my team and we kept going, trying until the end.”
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