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Swedish referee Anders Frisk ended his career due to threats to him and his family, Sweden's news agency TT reported late on Friday evening.
According to reports, Frisk received threats following last month's Champions League match in Barcelona between Barcelona and Chelsea. Rumors spread after the match that during halftime, Frisk had met with Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard. Later in the match, Chelsea forward Didier Drogba was sent off the field.
Frisk had also been physically harmed last September. During halftime of a Champions League match between AS Roma and Dynamo Kiev, an object thrown from the stands hit him on the head. Frisk then interrupted the match, stating that "Roma" did not guarantee the safety of referees.
The decision of Frisk to step down was confirmed by the chairman of the Swedish Referees' Association, Bo Karlsson: "I do not want to go into details, Anders himself will tell them when he wants to, but I can confirm that the threats were indeed serious. I can also confirm that he is stepping down."
Bo Karlsson also defended his colleague regarding the controversial match: "Anders made no wrong decisions in Barcelona."
Frisk, often regarded as one of the best referees in the world, had been appointed to officiate the World Cup qualifying match between Estonia and Slovakia on March 26 in Tallinn.
