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After a dramatic first Champions League round of 16 match between London and , the English team lost 2-1, referee Terje Hauge received death threats on English and Norwegian online forums.
One of the best arbitrators of the old continent faced sharp criticism from "Chelsea" coaches, leaders, and fans after ejecting defender Asier Del Horno from the field for a foul on young Lionel Messi. Although many experts believe this episode only deserved a yellow card, the referee decisively sent off the footballer. However, it is worth mentioning that earlier A.D.Horno had made a rough tackle on the same L.Messi, but the referee's whistle was silent.
Interestingly, last season Swedish referee Anders Frisk found himself in a similar situation, officiating the first match between "Barcelona" and "Chelsea" in the Catalan capital. The arbiter was accused of speaking with Spanish champions' coach Frank Rijkaard during the break and also sent off "Chelsea" forward .
London club's manager publicly accused the referee and after receiving threats following this incident, A.Frisk decided to end his career. This year, during the round of 16 matches, the task of officiating was assigned to the Swedish colleague of Terje Hauge.
Representatives of the leading club in the English Premier League rushed to condemn these threats: "Just like last season with A.Frisk, "Chelsea" condemns any threats to referees or players and fans of any club and organization. The problem is that most of these threats are made using other names. In such cases, it is very difficult to track down the offender."
