Referee Tom Henning Ovrebo Admits Mistakes Denied Chelsea 2009 Champions League Final Place

INFAMOUS referee Tom Henning Ovrebo admits his blunders denied Chelsea a place in the 2009 Champions League final.

The official achieved notoriety for his high-profile errors which helped Barcelona pinch victory at the death during a fiery semi-final, second-leg clash at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea were denied four clear penalties by Ovrebo, who crushed the Blues’ hopes of exacting revenge upon Manchester United in a repeat of the 2008 showpiece in Moscow.

UEFA then rounded on Chelsea for their complaints, with the likes of Didier Drogba receiving bans after calling the result a “f***ing disgrace”.

And Ovrebo has now come clean by conceding that he made a number of wrong choices during the game, which was won by Andres Iniesta’s lucky last-minute strike.

The ref adds he also received death threats as a result and was forced to change hotel to avoid the ire of angry supporters.

Ovrebo told Marca: “It was not my best day, really. But those mistakes can be committed by a referee… and sometimes a player or a coach.

“Some days you’re not at the level you should be. I can’t be proud of that performance.

“They were handball situations. I judged them on the pitch and I think it is not interesting to know what I think of those actions once judged.

“Although I understand that people think differently about the decisions that I made at the time. That discussion will continue eternally.

“I was responsible for the decisions that were made and we can argue that, if I had taken others, maybe Chelsea would have qualified for the final.

“We will never know. I made the decisions and they were not the best. But it is difficult to say if, without that arbitration, Barcelona would have been eliminated or not.

“After the match, I did not talk to any footballer. I left the field with dignity and went to the dressing room.

“I remember that we had to change hotels as there were many hostile people against us. We had to take care of ourselves that day and the next.”