Feeling let down by this ‘Fair Play’ charade

AS the final whistle went last Wednesday, I looked away from the celebrating Barça players and my eyes alighted on one of the many special UEFA advertising hoardings – this one had “Fair Play” emblazoned across it.

I sat there and stared at it a while wondering if Tom Henning Ovrebø had seen it and if, now that the final whistle had gone, he could honestly claim the preceding 95 minutes bore any relation to fair play in any way.

Corruption? Gross ineptitude of monstrous proportions? A man out of his depth and over-awed by a high-profile occasion? Whichever of those you decide led Ovrebø to make those decisions, you do need to ask yourself whether both his assistants suffered from the same stage fright, incompetence or ‘whatever’.

Regular readers will know Drogba is not a player I usually have much empathy with but his reaction was exactly what the majority of us fans were feeling at that precise moment. The injustice, the rage, the knowledge that nothing could be/would be done, the opportunity to put right all the hurt of Moscow denied in the most unfair way – it was all just too much.

We have all lost games due to mistakes, and one accepts it as part of what makes football what it is. But this was on another level entirely and has left not only a sour taste but a cloud over what we take as a given – that we are all performing on a level playing field.

Of course UEFA breathed a sigh of relief when the out-of-control Drogba was being held back, as the shocking refereeing decisions could now conveniently take a back seat to the inevitable witch-hunt. So disgraceful were the Drogba scenes, that the various TV stations had to keep re-playing them, to show those that may have missed it, how truly unacceptable they were.

As an aside, anyone notice when Fletcher was wrongly sent off for United? The camera panned to Sir Alex, guess what he was quite clearly saying? Jamie Carragher too, against West Ham, used the profanity which was clearly picked up by a microphone and as for Rooney, I think I would be more shocked if he didn’t swear at a referee during a match. Also if anyone thinks for one moment that Rooney would have reacted any differently to Drogba in the same circumstances then they are deluded. As for old red nose himself, I think he would have spontaneously combusted.

Many fans, myself included, are seriously thinking about whether they will be going to Champions League games next season. Some have already made their minds up and have declined to renew the European season ticket. Their feeling is that the competition is rigged or at least manipulated and they refuse to add to the already bloated coffers of an organisation that is either corrupt or inept. This is not a decision made out of rage, but out of a despondency which has hung around us since the game and is proving difficult to shift.

Still, apparently everyone now has the final that they wanted, and allegedly Barça “deserve” to be there; but as funny as you neutrals think this has been, laughing at Chelsea’s misfortune, are you not slightly disconcerted by events? I know I would be.

And what of the man himself Tom Henning Ovrebø, the 42-year-old referee who found it appropriate to be pictured wearing a Micky Mouse t-shirt? We have yet to hear from him as UEFA have effectively gagged him. Hardly surprising is it? What could he possibly have to say to counter that performance? He has been pre-selected as a referee for World Cup 2010. Having shafted the Italians at Euro 2008 (for which he was sent home) and officiated disastrously at Stamford Bridge let’s hope the Irish aren’t his next set of victims.

The gloom was still evident as the blue faithful converged on the North London Shopping Mall last Sunday. There was a feeling that many of us were there out of habit rather than the usual excitement that precedes a derby against the Goons. The result was satisfying, as was the baiting of the sorry excuse they have for supporters, but the feeling of anti-climax was still with me as I left the stadium and made my way home.

It’s going to take something special to get rid of the mass hangover we all feel from last week’s events – and it has to be said, that the club’s toadying attitude, players and manager excepted, to UEFA is not helping the supporters move on. But one thing is for sure, we all know where we stand now and we can make an informed decision as to whether we are part of this charade commonly known as the UEFA Champions League.

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