The exalted position of football as the most followed sport across the world is a result of its ability to consistently serve up contests that live up to the “hype” that surrounds them. The return leg (not really) of the titanic clashes between Barcelona and Chelsea, now into its third season is ample evidence to the passion the game arouses.
The success of such a game relies not just on the players on the field (who would, among them, be making more than 2 million pounds in weekly wages) or the managers, whose tactics and mind-games are mouth-watering contests themselves, or the almost 100000 fans who throng the Estadio Nou Camp, to the majority of whom, the performance of their team is a matter of Catalonian pride. A match of this nature needs good refereeing.
Given the history of the tie and the hostility between the teams, the man in charge of the field should really be in charge. One small moment of madness can flare into a controversy of untold proportions. Referees are a poor lot, literally. They run around the field, as much as any player would. But they are paid paltry sums. Players can get away with mistakes, but referees cannot. Referees do not get anything for having had a good game. But one poor decision, and they are villified, dissected, roasted.
Top on the menu this morning, not just here, but all across Europe is Mr. Farina, the referee who orchestrated the horror show last night. He dished out 10 yellow cards, two of which were thought to have gone to Ashley Cole, and generally failed to control a match, which would otherwise rate as one of the best this season. (Incidentally, Ashley Cole was given plenty of football lessons by the wily Lionel Messi, who tormented him down the right flank on innumerable occasions.)
The English press would love to have us believe that Mr. Farina was a victim of constant surrounding by Barca’s players, who forced him to dish out cards for the smallest of offenses by Chelsea players. That proves two things – I have lots of company when it comes to writers lacking imagination; and that Jose Mourinho isn’t short of company when it comes to whining.
One should hand it to Mr. Mourinho. He had already prepared the press and the public for this. He continued from last season’s rants labeling the reigning European champions as divers. He singled out Eidur Gudjohnsen, a Chelsea man till a few months ago, and wondered how the Icelander could have learnt to dive so fast. It is interesting to note that Eidur poured cold water on these suggestions by scoring a fantastic goal, and Didier Drogba reminded his own manager that he was still the master at the art of going down for nothing. The uninitiated would have commented that Drogba needed a pair of crutches (yeah, he looked right out of hospital, unable to stand). Others would have nominated him for a Razzie – even Jennifer Lopez will do better at acting.
El Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish sports paper, commented that Frank Rijkaard turned into Santino Corleone for a moment when marched right on to the pitch at the final whistle to confront the referee.That was an aberration, because, unlike his West London counterpart, the Dutchman is generally a study in stoicism. Evident from the fact he was the least agitated person in the Nou Camp during the best moment of the match.
It came when Deco capitalized on the first mistake of a woeful night for Bouhlarouz and unleashed a powerful drive past fellow countryman Hilario. It is sad that that amazing goal features so low on the writing list. And that is because the referee would stop the game for the simplest of tackles and challenges. (So bad that I didn’t lower or raise the TV volume for fear of attracting a yellow card!)
The better referees, the Italian Pierluigi Collina, for example, would factor in the nature of the game into their decisions. Frequent stoppages do not allow a high-tempo match to really take off. That is not to say that referees should turn a blind eye to poor tackles and challenges — how they rein in players while allowing the game to progress unhindered is the mark of good refereeing.
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Much as I like your writing, there are just two points (make it two and a half points) in this post where I would completely agree with you …
1. Horrible refereeing.
2. Boulahrouz had a torrid night.
To give some context to my argument, I have my own teams in each of the leagues and must confess that I support Chelsea, Inter and Barca in the top 3 leagues of Europe. So any Barca vs Chelsea clash is a mouth watering prospect for me not only for their absolutely contrasting styles of play but also for the tension. (both pre match and on the pitch) Day before yday’s match was well fought though any neutral will tell you that Chelsea should have won easily if not for the profligate Robben and Ballack. Yes, the Nou Camp can be pretty intimidating what with 98000 screaming fans but any referee assigned to such a critical match should assert himself early on – either book someone really early and put the lid on any possible discipline issues or use the whiste sparingly and let the game flow. Mr Farina sadly did neither. Yes, he did book 6 in the first half but most of it was under pressure from the opposing team (read: Barca) for 50-50 challenges and I am sure most neutrals will again agree that Chelsea were hard done more often than Barca. There were no hard men like Viera or Keano on the pitch but still the midfield looked like a battleground thanks to the referee’s needless intervention. Ballack and Essien were pulled up everytime they fought for the ball whereas MOtta got away with a lot of nonsense. And much as I hate mentioning this, the only Barca player who managed to stay on his feet was the blithe Deco – the central defenders Puyol and Marquez were a disgrace. Messi was delightful (hmmmm…though he had a couple of brilliant touches, he could have done more.. he keeps running too often without the ball a la Shaun Wright Philips) but any left back in the world would have struggled against him. Mourinho could have gone for the more defensive Bridge but I think he gambled by preferring Cole since it gave him more attacking options.
Anyways, I assume you watched it on Ten Sports so u must have heard the extremely biased commentators and the reviewers dishing their opinion on the match
Whats your take on Bremen vs Chelsea…I have a feeling Mourinho will field a second string team giving chances to Kalou, Mikel, SWP and Diarra hoping to help Bremen knock out Barca. After all, everything is fair in love and football.
ps: When did Drogba try to dive? I thought it was Lamps.
pps: If Deco’s goal was amazing (huh? Me thought Hilario was still asleep), then whats the adjective you would choose to use for Lamps’ effort?
Well, well… the teams I support in the respective leagues are Man United, AC Milan and Barca. That explains part of the rant.
As for the other part, it goes like this. Barcelona are like Arsenal (another side I don’t like). They attack in waves, and continuity is an important factor. The current Chelsea squad, unlike those of the pre-Mourinho period, rely on strength and force. That is to say that they play the English brand of football — the kind you would expect when you go to Old Trafford or St James’ Park (not these days!). So the stop-start nature of the game would do Barca more harm than it would to Chelsea.
Ashley Cole looked comical, at best. Had it not been for Makelele, Chelsea would have been three down at half time. Just like in the fixtures last year, Barca could have had run away with huge leads, if their finishing were better.
The one good thing that comes out of the game is Ronaldinho finding some form. That final pass to Gudjohnsen from the outside of his right foot was sublime. Let’s hope the rise in form continues.
TEN Sports, oh, don’t even talk about them. Even Chelsea fans would consider their commentary overkill.
Drogba? Don’t tell you saw him going down way too often. Not dives, but just falling like a sack. As for Lampard’s effort, well, that was a moment of great skill (though if you read the Teamtalk forums, they would want you to think otherwise.) Deco’s effort was amazing because he got off the blocks too soon for a Barca player. And the drive was simply too good — the ball travelled along the field, like the perfectly-played Rahul Dravid cover drive.
oh by the way mourinho’s celebration of drogba’s goal was the best moment of the game
nice to see u back bloggin again!