CHELSEA Vs BARCELONA-THE WORST EUROPEAN FOOTBALL TRAVESTY!

By Namakando Nalikando Sinyama, B.Sc Forestry,BAHRM

I have always thought watching those incompetent African referees was enough then I witnessed some European fellow equaling the feat of professional ineptitude never seen before in living memory.

There is not match we should expect from UEFA, the least they would do is, discredit the referee, bar him from any future match engagements at that level. All these actions will always fall short of annulling the goal because it was a genuine one; they will not, in retrospect grant Chelsea at the very least, 2 clear penalties they should have been awarded. Michael Essien’s thunderbolt of a goal, to me the goal of the competition, only to be robbed of victory by some ill-trained corrupt referee with low integrity. This referee conveniently decided to be blinking at the most critical moment when infringements were happening. He even takes it further by manufacturing 4 minutes after half of the regulation time and further to add another 4 minutes from who knows where after the 90 minutes were up. Something tells me he could have carried it on until Barcelona scored! The assistant referees were equally ham-fisted. The reason for UEFA inaction is that they are the appointing authorities of that excuse of a referee and are technically party to the scandal and equally culpable for this footbaling travesty. The gentleman was determined to see Barcelona in Rome even if it meant fitting a square peg into a round hole. The man is only fit to sit and watch the migratory and mating habits of fresh water salmon in the fiords of the North Sea in his hometown!

One thing is for sure; do not think I will ever watch UEFA CHAMPIONS League football again. The very sound of that once heart warming signature tune announcing the championship games is now making me want to throw up. Granted, my action is emotional, isolated, and insignificant but on a matter of personal principle I choose not to be humiliated and hard –done-by that way even as I know there have been other teams that have experienced things like that but Chelsea’s loss is the worst form of miscarriage of sporting justice ever seen at that stage of competition. The Zambian national team had witnessed a pinch of it at the hands one now infamous referee Diramba during their African football competitions in the past when they lost to Morocco during the world cup qualifying matches after they re-constituted a team following the Gabon air disaster that wiped out their entire team. What we witnessed last night was the death of European champions league football, as we knew it. Previously there were only suspicions about the existence of corruption in UEFA football but last night was living proof that it actually reeks to high heaven. A genuine Barcelona and true football fun is not proud of their qualification to Rome. We all know which team deserved to qualify. UEFA truly must be happy now that an undeserving team is in the final, how disheartening I really feel sick inside!

Thankfully my disgust will not lead me to do a Kenyan ‘special’! Tell me ,will Arsene Wenger and company foot the expenses at the funeral of their most loyal fun that chose not to stand but hang after the loss of his beloved team?

Incensed,


Namakando Nalikando Sinyama
“The Order of The Hammer & Sickle”