Frisk Retires because of Blues fans

[Cafu01]

Referee Anders Frisk has confirmed Chelsea fans forced him to quit football.

The Swedish official was in charge of Chelsea's first leg UEFA Champions League tie with Barcelona in Spain.

He controversially sent off Didier Drogba in the second half and coach Jose Mourinho accused him of meeting with Barca coach Frank Rijkaard at half time.

Since the game in Catalunya, Frisk and his family have been inundated with threats and that has forced him to make the decision he announced on Saturday, 12 March 2005

He has now confirmed that his refereeing days are over, because of some Blues followers.

"Chelsea have got many supporters in other parts of the world, not all the threats have come from England," Frisk told Sportbladet.

"I will never enter a football pitch again.

"I have been hit by things I could not even imagine. I love to officiate football and have done it since 1978.

"But what has happened to me the last 16 days doesn't make it worthwhile to continue. It has escalated day by day.

"There have been threats on the phone, through email and also through the regular post.

"It has also affected my family. I have decided that I am the only one to collect the post."

The 42-year-old insists that he did nothing wrong at Camp Nou - although he did admit to shaking hands with Rijkaard at half time, but not in his own changing room as Mourinho inferred.

"I still claim that what I did in Barcelona was correct. When I left, I didn't realise what would happen," he said.

"I didn't think a correct second yellow card [for Drogba] would lead to a sending off that would have such consequences.

"Also that a friendly handshake with the home coach would create such upset. I also greeted Jose Mourinho, but before the match.

"When someone I also have met as a player greets me for the first time during a match, I returned the handshake.

"He had missed the chance to do it before the match and apologised. What happened in the tunnel at the break got enormously out of proportion.

"Additionally, I was accused of letting the home coach into the dressing room.

"I am that experienced that everyone should understand that I would never let a coach into my room during a match.

"It is very sad to be accused of such a thing, after all my years in international football.

"I was completely unprepared for the reactions just because Frank Rijkaard came to greet me.

"I was brought up to be courteous - but apparently, there is no space for courtesy."

Frisk then admitted he has been a fan of Chelsea since he was young.

"I love Chelsea, that I have done since I was a child," he admitted.

"Therefore, this is really sad."



(from skysports.com)

[John_Timmins]

its not good that he has been forced out of football but he was a pretty terrible ref

one comment about him made in the chealsea game (i think it was chelsea)

"he likes to see his face in the papers"

And this was right he gave to many controversial decisions in most games in my opinion

[Bazf]

And of course Jose Mourinho hates being in the papers,he was doing that usual european thing of psyching out the opponents and he took it to far but of course he will never be wrong, it will just be a matter of time before he becomes the next Alex fergussssonnnnn without the red nose, I think you can take bets on him threatening to pull out of the FA cup or not play on a holiday and of course the FA capitulating.

[John_Timmins]

No but this is acceptable for the managers to want to be in the papers as they can just make a comment about the game and they get in the paper which doesnt harm many people But a ref has to make a controversial decision to get into the paper and this then has an effect on both teams and in my opinion recks the game of football

[Mik Dickinson]

What can we say then about the death threats made on the Swiss referee after the last European Championships.I believe the threats were 98% English fans.When you löive in the limelight you have to accept certain things.Look at Becks they were hanging him about 7 years ago