Tom Henning Ovrebo

I was originally going to give this blogpost a title like 'Chelsea Vs Barcelona'...but I figured that my rant is just about this joker, and not about the two teams.

Let's get some basic facts out right away. 1) I am a Chelsea supporter. 2) I have no conflict with Barcelona team.

Onto the rant...who the hell gave this clown his refereeing license? Here's another fact, this time about old Tommy-boy - yesterday was not his first disastrous performance. A little history lesson: back in Euro 2008, he refereed Italy VS Romania. Although I do not remember the match, many (especially Italian supporters) famously remember the undue penalty shot given to the Romanian team and a yellow card to De Rossi. He later admitted to making a mistake.

Fair enough...it was a one-off incident and he acknowledged that he was wrong. But...fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

So I guess, 'shame on us' because Ovary-bo fooled us again. Out of four possible penalty situations, two of them are indisputable to 6 billion people. The only man in the world who could dispute them (and did) was the referee. Scratch that...there are also the assistant referees. This man boy is responsible for changing established FIFA rules. But it doesn't matter, because he's not a player after all. The rules only apply to players. Referees are free to hump them any way the please.

Tommy Ovary-boy (Yes...I added the 'Y' this time) has once again admitted to making a mistake. Not this time, kiddo, not this time. If you're bad at what you do - you're bad. This wasn't just a single event in a single match. This was a case of at least four cases of poor refereeing in one match followed by a separate incident but one year ago. Face it - you are not cut out for this job. Resign. Turn in your license. Don't even think about it or hesitate. Just do it...you bring shame to the game.

It's worth noting that FIFA have pre-selected him to be a referee at the 2010 World Cup. After a gaffe like the one in Euro 2008 I wouldn't even consider him, but after last night's spectacle?? I honestly believe he should be banned from all international matches. Furthermore, I firmly believe that EUFA not commenting on the actions of their referees is a load of bullshit. Not only should you comment, you should act. His license should be revoked. Or at the very least, let him continue to ruin matches in Norway - but leave the rest of the world free from his stupid antics.

Last night's incident brought further issues to light. The first of them being that replays cannot be used for decisions. This is absolutely ridiculous. We're living in the 21st Century...video has been around for almost 100 years and here we are relying solely two referees at any given time, while the rest of the world - even a boy of four, could make better decisions based on the replay. I mean, what is this obsession with avoiding fairness in a game? What message is FIFA trying to send? How many jokers like Ovary-boy do we need to screw up competitions as serious as this one before it finally clicks?

A second issue is the away goals rules. Now...come on...let's all be men here (and in the case of Women's football, women) if you know how to play the game...it DOES NOT MATTER WHICH BLOODY GROUND YOU ARE PLAYING IN. Is that easy enough to read? You could be playing in London or Paris, Tokyo or Ta' Qali...the pitch is the same. And if the fans in the stand really make a difference to a player's performance then...I'm sorry but you are not a footballer, you are a circus performer. Real football talent doesn't change based on background noise...if you're good, you're good full stop.

I mean...these are simple things like the now defunct golden goal rule a while back (I'm also somewhat opposed to the offside rule, but I won't get into that as it does add a fair degree of difficulty to the match). FIFA, EUFA...the general FA system is sadly outdated and horribly hopeless at providing decent football anymore. You cannot discipline players but treat referees like gods. It's sickening. I am of the belief that it is high-time that the world finds and alternative to FIFA. I mean, come on...it's in French! Ok...joking apart, I think enough teams/countries are fed up of FIFA's antics to just declare it a defunct association and build a new organisation to overlook football.

Moving on. This part is dedicated to all those who would like to take this opportunity to slam Chelsea players such as Drogba after last night. They were 100% correct. Had I been in Drogba's position, I would have hit him. It wouldn't have been the right thing to do, and Drogba should be commended for not doing so (when Ovary-boy deserved it) and not punished for expressing human emotion. Furthermore, had I been Abramovich I would have marched down to the pitch and, flanked by Hiddink, informed Hen-House (a new name for him) that his career in international football is now over. If there's one man on this planet who can do it, it is good old Roman.

My friends, this is the end of today's rant. I'd like to close by saying that I am not a fan of these direct death threats to Tommy Hen-House Ovary-boy. Making such death wishes privately are fine, but to actually threaten him personally is over the line. However, while I do not think his stupidity merits death...if I was informed of his death tomorrow morning I'd smile and thank karma. Then shrug and continue with my day.

So, while my good wishes do not extend to the Premier League, I am now supporting Manchester United for the Champions League. Chelsea still have that FA Cup to win, and there's everything to play for!

Darryl, from Malta - Online