(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Well, UEFA finally ruled on Chelsea’s behavior after the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona, and I am surprised at how lenient the bans are.
The media is portraying UEFA’s ruling to hand lengthy European bans to Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa as harsh.
I disagree.
Drogba was given a six-match ban, but the last two games are suspended for two years. This makes it a four-game ban for his foul-mouthed confrontation with referee Tom Henning Ovrebo at the end of their Champions League semifinal defeat by Barcelona in May.
Chelsea fullback Jose Bosingwa got a four-match ban—with one game suspended for two years—making this a three-game ban for labeling Ovrebo a “thief” after the game.
The day after the semifinal I wrote that Chelsea have to face UEFA’s Wrath over their conduct. UEFA has showed that their campaign for respect for referees is a PR move only.
If UEFA President Michel Platini were serious about making sure that referees were respected he would have given Drogba and Bosingwa more than four and three-game bans, respectively.
Also, what happened to Michael Ballack?
Ballack, if you remember, became incensed about a missed penalty in extra time and aggressively chased the referee on the pitch. TV replays seemed to indicate that Ballack bumped the referee.
Did he get off scot-free here?
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