
Fall guy: Drogba has a tantrum when he fails to win a free-kick against Barca
Manchester City captain Richard Dunne last night claimed Chelsea deserved to be knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona because they are ‘divers’. As Chelsea continue to bemoan what they see as an injustice at the hands of Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, Dunne indicated they have only themselves to blame because of some of their past behaviour.
Talking before tomorrow’s derby against Manchester United, Dunne said: ‘The refs have been given rules and they have no option but to punish defenders sometimes. But there are a lot more divers as well. It has crept in more and more, but what goes around comes around. You dive around and teams score against you in injury time.’
Dunne did not specifically refer to Chelsea’s defeat by Barcelona on Wednesday, when Andres Iniesta scored the decisive equaliser in added time, but the Republic of Ireland defender has long been a critic of Didier Drogba, whose behaviour after the semi-final shocked the football world.
Take it as red: Dunne gets his marching orders against Hamburg in the UEFA Cup.
The Portugal winger has been sent off twice against City in his United career and Dunne added: ‘He is the best player in the world and he plays the game to his advantage. At times, he can be running so fast that any nick could send him tumbling. He makes the most of the situation, I suppose. But diving or not diving, he’s impossible to mark when he’s on form.’
Last time out: Ronaldo inexplicably handles a Wayne Rooney corner for his second yellow card during United's 1-0 win at Eastlands
UEFA confirmed yesterday they have received referee Ovrebo’s report. They are set to issue charges next week against Drogba, who approached Ovrebo aggressively and screamed ‘F***ing disgrace’ at TV cameras in the immediate aftermath of the game, as well as Michael Ballack and Jose Bosingwa. All three are likely to be banned for at least three European matches next season.
Ovrebo’s wife, Bente, said yesterday her husband, who holds a full-time job as a psychologist, was ‘extremely shaken up’. She added: ‘It is terrifying. Why are people reacting like this? It’s just football.’
'It's just football': Michael Ballack remonstrates with Ovrebo
FIFA president Sepp Blatter joined the debate by demanding that more countries make their referees fully professional. He said: ‘I’ve been saying for 10 years we must improve refereeing and that means it’s time to have professionals and use only them in high-level competitions.’
English uniformed police will join 2,000 Italian officers on duty for the first time in Rome on the day of the Champions League final — May 27 — in a bid to protectUnited fans from local hooligans.


hahaha.....cool pics!
anyway, i think dunne has got it spot on. Roanldo can be a diver at times. But mostly, he is often so quick and tricky that a slight touch can throw his off.
Drogba is a great player, i havent seen a stronger forward in years, he's even stronger than rooney i think. But he really feign injury too much. he deserves all that shit thrown at him.
Chelsea kena the mourinho diving culture. How porto won the UEFA cup against Celtic and their semi final against Man U, that's a fucking disgrace.
utd can well afford to lose this game.
Originally posted by Rock^Star:hahaha.....cool pics!
anyway, i think dunne has got it spot on. Roanldo can be a diver at times. But mostly, he is often so quick and tricky that a slight touch can throw his off.
Drogba is a great player, i havent seen a stronger forward in years, he's even stronger than rooney i think. But he really feign injury too much. he deserves all that shit thrown at him.
Chelsea kena the mourinho diving culture. How porto won the UEFA cup against Celtic and their semi final against Man U, that's a fucking disgrace.
i agreed.. not bcos im a man utd fan and thus im bias.. but i had said before, sometimes ronaldo may seem like he dived but he may not bcos fast and quick ppl are like that, their balance is very minimal so a little bit of nudge can put them off balance..
drogba is a very strong player and tats why im quite puzzled how he can withstand and hold off defenders outside the penalty box but not as much when he's inside.. its just an observation, not bias or something..
but both of them gotta stop whining like a baby.. spoils their game..
players like drogba cannot survive in the EPL for long. First 2 seasons, u dunno he's actually that strong and then the refs realise that he's suddenly weak in the box lol.
Lolx i see Ballack Face i wan to laugh
jose taught drogba bad lar
Originally posted by limpper:utd can well afford to lose this game.
trying to lull MU???
MU should continue to hit the nail and win win win.. ending line is near, win it..