Poll : Ovrebo hounded just like a criminal...for £5,000
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Graham Poll: Ovrebo has been hounded just like a criminal...for £5,000
Mickey Mouse display? Tom Henning Ovrebo
Graham Poll was once one of the leading referees in the world. He has officiated in a Champions League semi final, but has also endured the dark side of the trade. Who would be a referee? Here he gives a unique insight into the world of a referee on the run...
I have been smuggled out of a stadium in Slovenia under a blanket like a common criminal, been surrounded and threatened by Russian players and also had death threats sent to my home. Welcome to the world of international refereeing.
Those were some of my experiences and now Tom Henning Ovrebo is finding out how unpopular you can be for making honest mistakes in a high-profile game, for which he was paid £5,000.
So how would you react to being hounded on the field by crazed players, using their athletic build to intimidate you, while the route to your dressing room is blocked by a maniacal international who thumps the wall to frighten the life out of you, resulting in you having to return to the field to seek refuge?
There is a relief when you eventually escape the claustrophobic feel of the stadium, being whisked away in a blacked-out people carrier to head for what you hope is the safety of your hotel, only to see a posse of media in hot pursuit.
Ovrebo's hotel was changed in an attempt to afford him some protection, and his personal effects were transferred for him. Past midnight, he was checked into a new hotel and advised that a flight home was being changed, and that the police were advising on a safe passage through the airport. All this because of a bad day at the office.
You now have a few hours to spend with your colleagues, two assistants and your fourth official. Sleep is out of the question as you slowly replay the key incidents in your mind. Did you have a nightmare of a game? How badly did the referee assessor feel you performed? Will you ever be trusted with a big UEFA match again?
You want to phone home but don't want to disturb your family in the middle of the night and there is then a period of a couple of hours which you spend alone when the reality of the situation hits you. Then you start to get angry, very angry. How can it be that as a result of a refereeing performance your life could be affected so much?
You recall the fate of Anders Frisk, the exceptionally talented Swedish referee who felt hounded out of the game following his own Barcelona v Chelsea debacle. Please don't let this happen to me, you think.
Our own Graham Poll is no stranger to being hounded by Didier Drogba and co...
Finally the clock crawls around to 7.45am, 12 hours since you blew your whistle to start the biggest game of your career. You were full of hope and excitement for what you hoped was a going to be a great game of football. Sure, there were nerves but UEFA apppointing you to such an important game meant that you took to the field with confidence.
Finally you manage to speak to your family at home and reassure them that you are fine but that they should take care as there will be huge interest and intrusion into family life.
Talk of UEFA attempting to influence a referee to avoid another all English final is ludicrous. I was one of UEFA's top group of referees for 10 seasons and handled many high-profile and volatile matches and I was never approached with a view to preferring any team.
One question that does need an answer is why this match was assigned to the Norweigan No 1 referee, whose lack or regular exposure to games of the magnitude of Chelsea versus Barcelona could well have contributed to his flawed performance.
Mind you, last year's Champions League final in Moscow was refereed very well by Lubos Michel from Bratislava and I am not sure that he was regularly tested by the Slovakian National league games.
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rematch lor... if can
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aww man....what is a grown man doing in that mickey mouse tee.....so gay.
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Bring back Pierlugi Collina!!
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It is one of the toughest job in the world...
Try be a referee in South America or even our neighbour, Indonesia...it's more dangerous over there...