Didier Drogba on 2009 Chelsea-Barcelona referee: “He’s lucky I won the Champions League later.” | OneFootball

In a 24-minute segment, Canal+ have reunited Chelsea legend Didier Drogba and former French international referee Tony Chapron to recall and analyse the infamous 2008-2009 Champions League semi-final second tie between the Blues and Barcelona. The game is remembered for Andrés Iniesta’s last-minute goal that propelled the Blaugranes to the final, but mostly by Norwegian international referee Tom Henning Øvrebø‘s erratic performance. In this infamous game, one of the most controversial in modern Champions League history, Øvrebø could, have given at least three penalties for Guus Hiddink’s Blues, but he never pointed to the spot that night.

According to Chapron, Øvrebø lost the plot that fateful evening on May 6th when he wrongfully gave a free-kick to Chelsea, instead of a penalty, when Daniel Alves fouled Florent Malouda in the Barcelona box in the first half. “It is the key moment of the game, claims Chapron. Because he knew he got it wrong. He called the foul but he didn’t want it to be a penalty. But the law is clear. Any foul in the box means a pen. You either call the foul or you don’t. By giving a free kick, he knew he blew it.” Two minutes later, Drogba is brought down in that same box by Eric Abidal but Øvrebø was unimpressed. “There’s everything you need here to give a pen“, notes Chapron.”It’s like a gift to the referee. It could have saved his performance and we would have forgotten his previous mistake.”

As the analysis dives into the second half of the game, Drogba joins the discussion. The former Ivory Coast international revealed to Chapron that Øvrebø never communicated with him throughout the game. “He did not give you anything. He entered in a conflict with you, the team and the stadium“, Chapron reflects. Twenty minutes from time, Drogba limped off the pitch as Barcelona went a man down with Abidal being sent off. “The coach did not ask me how I was or how I felt. I’ve already played through stronger pain than that, revealed Drogba. If I had stayed, both Barcelona centre-backs would have been over me. Belletti comes on, he’s a defender. With me gone, Gérard Piqué can play much higher now. In midfield, we were now short-handed.”

Two minutes later, Chelsea’s goalscorer Mickaël Essien is booked for a dangerous lunge on Iniesta. “That deserved a red card“, concedes Drogba. “I don’t think Øvrebø held something against Chelsea or that the game was rigged. He just lost the plot“, adds Chapron. At the 79th minute, Chelsea’s French striker Nicolas Anelka is brought down in the box following a duel with Barcelona’s Yaya Touré. According to Chapron, this could have been a penalty, but Øvrebø could not have pointed to the spot, because he was nowhere near the action. “When Anelka fell, he’s still in the centre circle. No way he’d give a pen from there. Øvrebø was imposing, but he was no athlete. He said he would have loved to have VAR this day.” “So would I“, laughs Drogba.

Three minutes later, a blatant handball by Piqué sent Stamford Bridge into frenzy, but again Øvrebø denied Chelsea a fairly obvious penalty. “The ref waved his arms like there was no foul, so he saw something. But he stated there was nothing to give“, observes Drogba. “Because he didn’t want to give a penalty, replies Chapron. If you call foul there, that’s a pen and a red card. He just gave a red card to Barcelona, he didn’t feel like giving a second one. He’s afraid of that.” “You should not referee a game of that magnitude if you are afraid to take decisions“, shrugs Drogba. Chapron then wonders if the Norwegian referee was made aware, or if he unconsciously thought, that a final against Chelsea and Manchester United, who qualified the day before over Arsenal, would not have been a great advertising for the Champions League. Because those same teams faced off in the final the previous year.

When Iniesta flipped the tie on its head, with Barcelona’s only shot on target, in the dying minutes, Chelsea rushed to Victor Valdés’ goal. At the 95th minute, Samuel Eto’o deflected a Michael Ballack volley with his arm in the penalty box. Again, Øvrebø was uninterested and was chased by the apoplectic German midfielder. “He’s running away, he’s fleeing“, Chapron reflects. “There, everyone went mad, recalls Drogba. Look, I don’t believe in conspiracy theories but when something like that happens, with the referee two yards away from the action, after such a buildup of events… That’s a disgrace. That was serious.”

At the end of the game, a furious Drogba confronted Øvrebø. “I told him it was a disgrace and that people would remember him“, reveals the former Chelsea forward. “I was restrained but I wanted to say certain things to him, but I would never strike a referee. It was like a movie, a script from a movie.” When asked by Chapron what he would do if he’d meet Øvrebø now, Drogba replies he’d shake his hand. “He’s lucky I won the Champions League later though“, laughs Drogba. “There’s no hard feelings. Time takes its toll. Later on I met some Barça players from that game. They told me they did not know or understand what happened that night. Nobody did.“

GFFN | Bastien Cheval