An official disaster

THIS morning I really wanted to reflect on Champions League semi finals that offered up great games and great individual performances.

And, of course, it would be remiss of me not to say I thought Manchester United were outstanding and no one more so than Cristiano Ronaldo.

If, as I’ve always argued, he ends up going to Real Madrid, Manchester United will find it very difficult to replace him.

However, I’m still fuming about the referees at the two games in London. Let’s look at Tuesday night first.

Italian Roberto Rosetti is one of the continent’s best. Such is his ability I had no concerns that an Englishman wasn’t in charge of an all-English semi final – wasn’t that something that might have occurred to UEFA?

But I was aghast at his decision to: (a) award a penalty kick for what I considered a good challenge, and (b) show a red card to Darren Fletcher. UEFA’s match observer, the Scot Hugh Dallas, should know far better than to support both decisions.

I could, just about, take the penalty. It didn’t materially affect the outcome of the game. However, the dismissal imposes a ludicrous punishment for a crime that never was. Paul Scholes was lucky: he got to play in another Champions League final; Roy Keane wasn’t and I’m sure it still rankles with him.

Fletcher, who’s a nice guy and a footballer who’s drastically under-rated, may suffer the same fate as the Irishman.

Why does UEFA have to be so intransigent? Can we not have some common sense? I’m sick of hearing that “rules are rules”.

Rightly, ‘rules’ didn’t prevent Brad Friedel’s red card at Anfield being rescinded. Rosetti made two mistakes at the Emirates: one of them can be corrected and UEFA’s refusal to do so is pathetic.

Mind you, there was worse to come at Stamford Bridge, much worse. Earlier in this Champions League season, I questioned why a Luxembourg referee, Alain Hamer, should be officiating at this level.

Just what domestic experience prepares him for the biggest club competition in the world? And I feel the same about Tom Henning Ovrebo of Norway.

Now I don’t go along with any conspiracy theory. Like Graeme Souness, I suspect UEFA are rather pleased that a second successive all English final was narrowly averted but Ovrebo wasn’t ‘biased’ against Chelsea.

The ridiculous red card to Abidal reinforces the argument that the Norwegian is merely incompetent.

Guus Hiddink counted four penalties that Chelsea should have been awarded. Consider two of them.

Florent Malouda throws himself down far too easily for my liking but it was an obvious foul by Daniel Alves – how delighted I am that the Brazilian cheat will be suspended for the game in Rome – and it was clearly inside not outside the penalty area. Ovrebo’s decision was inexcusable.

Then, in the second half, when a second Chelsea goal would undoubtedly have killed Barcelona off, Pique handled the ball in the box. Even he said it was a penalty!

Drogba’s post-match hysterics were inexcusable and UEFA can surely get one thing right by punishing him severely. Yet I could understand his emotions. Everyone at Chelsea feels hard done by and a good few of us neutrals as well.

The old adage applies: the game, and any match in particular, is healthiest when we don’t have to talk about referees.