This comes after the referee from their famous Stamford Bridge meeting admitted to costing the Blues a spot in the final.

Almost nine years on from that infamous Champions League clash between Chelsea and Barcelona, Blues fans have not been able to forget the controversial officiating in that 2009 battle. The London club saw four penalty claims waved away as they crashed as they were denied a spot in the 2008/09 final thanks to Andres Iniesta’s stoppage-time equalizer.

Tom Henning Ovrebo, the referee in that match, became a despised figure. He was chased down the field by Michael Ballack after failing to award a late spot-kick for the Premier League side before being confronted by an angry Didier Drogba after the final whistle.

Now, the retired official has admitted to making several mistakes and playing a key role in Chelsea’s elimination in that semi-final encounter at Stamford Bridge. He made this confession in an interview with Marca.

“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 to the decisions I made at the time. That discussion will continue eternally,” he told the Spanish newspaper.

“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 decisions and they were not the best. But it is difficult to say if, without that arbitration, Barcelona would have been eliminated or not.”

That game continues to be one of the most controversial matches in that competition. Ovrebo quickly became enemy number one in west London, being forced to switch hotels for his safety amid death threats.

Receiving help from referees, albeit probably accidental, is a stain on the Blaugrana’s image – hence their “UEFAlona” nickname. Last season’s clash with PSG is just another example of officiating errors playing in their favor. Unfortunately for the English side, the referee nominated to see over Tuesday’s clash already has them worried.

These two sides will lock horns in the Champions League in this season, this time in the round of 16, not the last four. Ahead of the first leg in London on Tuesday, Chelsea fans are demanding a fair game, but only time will tell if a repeat of the 2009 fiasco will occur.

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Chelsea 1 - 1 Barcelona

February 20, 2018 2:45pmStamford Bridge (London)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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