Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has fanned the flames ahead of tonight’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona by calling for referee Frank de Bleeckere to act upon any gamesmanship from the Catalan side.

JOSE MOURINHO, the man for whom all the field’s a stage, has finished Act One of his latest production with a narrow advantage over Chelsea and the fascination now is to see what twists and turns he has planned for what should be a dramatic finale at Stamford Bridge in three weeks’ time.

OF all Ireland’s play-off defeats, this one was the hardest to take.

GUUS HIDDINK has hinted he will drop Didier Drogba for Chelsea’s meeting with Arsenal tomorrow, although the Dutch manager believes the striker should not face club sanctions for his foul-mouthed televised outburst after Wednesday’s acrimonious Champions League exit to Barcelona.

THE head of Norway’s refereeing union, Rune Pedersen, is confident Tom Henning Ovrebo, the referee blamed for Chelsea’s Champions League exit, will ride out the storm of criticism and not cave in to demands that he quit his job.

YOU would have thought that Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Mephistopheles and all the gathered cohorts of evil had lined up against Barcelona last week considering the wailing that has been coming from the Catalans since. Now that that nasty Mourinho bloke has left, they obviously expected us to follow UEFA’s unwritten rules of allowing Barcelona to score at will.

IF CHELSEA thought they had shaken off some kind of eternal European foe in defeating Liverpool, after one of the Champions League’s all-time classic matches, then they are about to feel like Butch and Sundance did every time they looked over their shoulders and saw the Pinkerton detectives relentlessly appearing on the horizon to pursue them.

Martin Hansson, the referee in charge of Liverpool’s recent Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, has admitted receiving death threats over his decision to award a late penalty to Reds captain Steven Gerrard.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has launched a furious attack on Jose Mourinho, accusing the Chelsea boss of launching a calculated 'war' that should be punished by the footballing authorities.

POLICE AGGRESSION made a tense situation “catch fire” at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, according to former referee Anders Frisk.

FORMER referee Anders Frisk had the room rocking with a memorable anecdote at the launch of the FAI’s Referee Development Plan in Dublin yesterday.

THE Special One eyeing the exit? Say it ain’t so, Jose.

READING manager Steve Coppell is convinced Stephen Hunt and Ibrahima Sonko have already shrugged off the death threats the pair received through the post.

Chelsea will renew hostilities with European champions Barcelona in the Champions League after being pitted together in Group A of this season’s competition.

Thierry Henry is in the clear despite his withering verbal attack on Norwegian referee Terje Hauge after Arsenal’s defeat in the Champions League final.

JOSE MOURINHO has told his players he will take the heat in the Nou Camp today as baying Barca fans prepare a ‘welcome to hell’ reception for Chelsea.

Frank Rijkaard has pleaded with Barcelona fans not to abuse Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea team.

MARKUS MERK has been appointed as referee for tomorrow night’s highly-charged Champions League fixture between Barcelona and Chelsea in the Nou Camp.

Markus Merk has been appointed as referee for Tuesday’s highly-charged Champions League fixture between Barcelona and Chelsea in the Nou Camp.

Chelsea 2 Portsmouth 0

Chelsea have condemned death threats made towards referee Terje Hauge on fans’ forums in the wake of Wednesday’s controversial Champions League clash with Barcelona.

IF LAST season’s epic clash between Chelsea and Barcelona was an advert for the beautiful game, this year’s rip-roaring sequel was as astonishing, breathless example of high-octane football - won by Barcelona 2-1.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck insists the club will be keen to buy Freddy Adu “if he’s as good as people say he is”.

Norwegian referee Terje Hauge will take charge of Chelsea’s Champions League home leg against Barcelona on Wednesday.

CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho insists he will not be silenced as he waits for the Football Association to determine if he will be punished for calling Wigan’s Lee McCulloch a “cheat.”

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists he will not be silenced as he waits for the Football Association to determine if he will be punished for calling Wigan’s Lee McCulloch a “cheat”.

WHEN Vince Lombardi was strutting his stuff as the most successful coach in American football history he gave the sports world some of its pithiest phrases.

Referee Anders Frisk was given FIFA’s presidential award tonight as recognition for a career cut short following death threats against his family from Chelsea extremists.

Frank Lampard has called for bitter memories of last year’s controversial Champions League encounter between Chelsea and Barcelona not to overshadow this season’s mouth-watering re-run.

CHELSEA chief executive Peter Kenyon last night opted to concentrate on the prospect of two more scintillating games of football against Barcelona instead of stirring up any ill-feelings left over from last year’s acrimonious meeting between the two teams in the Champions League.

Chelsea face a rematch against Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League.

CHELSEA are steeling themselves for the prospect of another Champions League showdown with Barcelona.

DUTCH legend Johan Cruyff believes Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has a duty to produce a team that not only wins, but also entertains.

Returning to Chelsea has put the smile back on the face of England midfielder Frank Lampard, according to Jose Mourinho.

JOSE MOURINHO’S truce with UEFA will not stop him speaking out against Europe’s governing body if he feels there is any injustice shown to his side during the new Champions League campaign.

Jose Mourinho’s truce with UEFA will not stop him speaking out against Europe’s governing body if he feels there is any injustice being shown to his side during the new Champions League campaign.

CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho has appealed to UEFA to let him begin the season with a clean slate.

UEFA will this week take the first steps towards toughening up the penalties for national sides, clubs and players who misbehave and are set to move towards a system where points deductions and match forfeits will be become regular punishments.

UEFA will this week take the first steps towards toughening up the penalties for national sides, clubs and players who misbehave and are set to move towards a system where points deductions and match forfeits will become regular punishments.