Chelsea v Barcelona: Referee Tom Henning Ovrebo receives threats  

There was uncertainty over the whereabouts of Tom Henning Ovrebo, the referee of Chelsea's contentious Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, after reports that he had to be smuggled out of Britain under police guard last night
Ovrebo has reportedly become the target of furious Chelsea supporters, after the Norwegian denied Guus Hiddink's men a series of penalties that would have secured them victory and a place in the Rome final with Manchester United.
At the end of yesterday's Stamford Bridge clash, which finished 1-1 thanks to Andres Iniesta's last-gasp equaliser, Ovrebo was targeted by Chelsea players - most notably Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack - who confronted the referee, with Drogba caught on camera hurling a tirade of abuse in the 42-year-old's direction, calling him "a f*****g disgrace".
The animosity was such that police reportedly grew concerned about Ovrebo's safety and, according to former referee Graham Poll, were forced to change his hotel before organising a secret exit from the country.
Poll told Radio Four: “This morning he's being smuggled out of our country under police escort - this is a referee of a football match. That is a disgrace.
“When he booked in a hotel they had to change the hotel he was staying at because of the fear that maybe fans would find him.

“When you see players acting like that, fans are called fans because they are fanatics - they may feel it's time to take action themselves.”
The Metropolitan Police, however, said they were not aware of any specific death threats against the referee, and insisted that they had not provided an escort to the airport. And reports in Norway suggest that Ovrebo is yet to leave the country.
A police spokesman confirmed that a police car did escort the referee to his hotel from Stamford Bridge last night, but officers did not advise him to change his accommodation plans. The decision to change hotels was taken by the Uefa referees team.
According to the London Evening Standard, officers in Ovrebo's home city of Oslo are investigating threats made on the internet towards the referee, with message boards displaying his home address, including warnings that fans will “hunt him” and “kill him”.
An Oslo police spokesman said: “We are watching closely what is being posted on the internet. Anything we believe would threaten his personal safety will be taken seriously.”
If the reports are verified, it would not be the first time Chelsea fans have turned on an official in such a manner. Anders Frisk, a Swedish referee who officiated Barcelona's 2-1 win over Chelsea at the Nou Camp back in Feb 2005, when Jose Mourinho was in charge, had a campaign of intimidation directed at him and eventually quit as a referee.
At the time Frisk said: "I have been subjected to things that I couldn't even imagine.
"I love to referee and I have done it since 1978, but what has happened to me means it is not worth continuing. I won't ever go out on a football pitch again. I am too scared. It is not worth it. Unfortunately that is the way football looks in 2005. I've had enough. I don't know if I even dare let my kids go to the post office."
Uefa have been criticised for putting Ovrebo in charge of such an important match, especially as he has previously made mistakes in a big game.
At Euro 2008 he refereed Italy's 1-1 draw with Romania, awarding the Romanians a dubious penalty and incorrectly ruling out an Italian goal. After the match, he apologised for his mistakes and did not take charge of another game during the competition.
John Terry and Guus Hiddink were both infuriated that Ovrebo had been allowed to officiate last night's encounter, with Terry saying "Why did we get a referee who has officiated in 10 games in the Champions League in his career? To be given the Champions League semi-final, that's not good enough."
Hiddink was equally scathing, adding: "If you've seen the three or four (penalty) situations waved away, this is the worst refereeing performance I've ever seen."
The Norwegian football federation, meanwhile, have defended Ovrebo and say both he and his linesmen need not worry about their careers, despite Chelsea's outrage.
Rune Pedersen said: "Naturally we must have respect for the fact that there can be decisions that are debatable, but the way they carried out the game right to the end I believe was a show of strength.
"I don't think that some questionable situations would mean that they don't get any more assignments."
src:telegraph.co.uk