Ovrebro: Bridge blunder in the past

Tom Henning Ovrebro, the Norwegian referee who was blamed for Chelsea’s Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona in the 2009 semi-final, would be happy to take charge of their European semi-final clash in a fortnight so he can “correct the bad impression from the past’’.

The referee is no longer on UEFA’S list of international officials and has not officiated a game in the Norwegian top-flight this season as he is still recovering from an illness.

“Everyone can relax in the knowledge that there is no chance of that happening, so I will be watching it on television,’’ he joked. “But I would like to referee this one, to correct the bad impression from the past. Though I would hardly be applauded at Stamford Bridge.’’

Overbro has relived the events of Stamford Bridge three years ago, when a series of decisions against Chelsea ended with Michael Ballack screaming in his face and Didier Drogba shouting into a TV camera that Chelsea’s exit was “a f**king disgrace’’.

“When it comes to dealing with the stress and pressure, I took a lot of good out of the experience,’’ Ovrebro, whose day job is a psychologist, told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet. “Being able to stand up to scrutiny like that, deal with it afterwards and know what to expect, it is helpful for the rest of my life and in other areas. So I haven’t put it away completely, I see it as a useful experience, one that can still help me dealing with stress.

“That game is part of me, for better or for worse. Occasionally, fans or media remind me, and I can deal with that. I have used the experience in my own life.’’

Chelsea had two penalty shouts for handball waved away by Ovrebro and when Andres Iniesta scored a late winner to send Barcelona into the final, in which they beat Manchester United, the Blues were furious. Drogba received a three-match for his outburst, as did Jose Bosingwa, who called Ovrebro “a thief’’.

After Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory over Benfica, a result that secured a 3-1 aggregate win and a place in the semi-finals, Chelsea scorer Frank Lampard admitted that revenge for the defeat three years ago would feature in the build-up to the game.

“Everyone has unfinished business with Barcelona,’’ he said. “That game [from 2009] is still in our minds.’’

Ovrebro refused to confirm reports that Drogba swore and punched the wall just inches from the official’s face as the row continued in the tunnel after the game. “There are people who wonder what happened in the tunnel, but it’s been three years, and for me, in many ways that is history,’’ he said.

“But if I talked about this now, it would only cause more controversy and create new stories. I don’t think there is much point in it. People can imagine what happened, and they are very curious. But I think it’s right that I’m loyal to the employer I had once, and not stir it up any more.’’

He joked that if he hit financial problems he could always write a book revealing what happened.

“I still get the occasional text message or e-mail. And when I’m out somewhere and there are football fans around, that’s the game I am remembered for — not the 30 or so other Champions League matches I covered.

“But I realise it was controversial. That’s football. But I will not be harassed in any way, even if I get sworn at once in a while.

“I had many great experiences as an international referee, but at that level, your life is ruled by football. You must be available and ready all the time. It is not a great loss. And it’s extra nice that other Norwegian officials have come through, and performed so well.’’

Chelsea could yet get a Norwegian official for the semi-final, after Svein Oddvar Moen impressed in charge of Bayern Munich’s win over Marseille this week.

“You cannot get to that level if UEFA don’t think that you have the necessary experience and skill. If Svein Oddvar were to get it, he would do a great job,’’ he said.

Meanwhile Chelsea captain John Terry has vowed to continue playing through the pain of cracked ribs.

The defender sustained two cracked ribs in last week’s away win at Benfica and, despite completing that game and all 90 minutes of Saturday’s Premier League win at Aston Villa, he was forced off after an hour on Wednesday.

He said: “It’s just horrible. When you get one in the ribs, you can’t do anything about it, you can’t treat it, you just have let it heal, but I can get through games definitely.

“I thought it was okay but, later in the second-half, it just seemed to be getting worse and I was struggling to breathe. It was difficult. I have never felt anything like that before.”