Didier, You Are Wrong

Chelsea lost to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday 6th May. It was a highly charged match and the referee wasn't brilliant. There were three calls for a Chelsea penalty and the commentator said that the second appeal was clear cut as Drogba's shirt was pulled. As I was being told this I saw Drogba pulling the shirt of his opponent. That's the nature of sport and that's why you have referees.

At the end of the match, some would say that Didier Drogba confronted the referee and got booked. To me it looked more like abuse before he went on to swear at a TV camera and then had to be restrained from going near to the referee. This led John Terry to say that he was "fully behind Didier for the way he reacted". I love the next quote from Terry. "People are saying we shouldn't have reacted the way we did but the fact is six decisions went against us".

Many years ago there was a fight on a rugby pitch and one of the players was injured. The debate at the time was whether the police should be involved when a sport is being played. I am absolutely convinced that the police should be involved. Many would say a fight causing injury is one thing and verbal abuse is another, but this verbal abuse bordered on physical. My point is if something is going on around you that shouldn't be going on then we all have a duty to do something about it.

The message is clear. If a referee makes a few errors (and we all make mistakes) then the players and the fans have a perfect right to abuse him. Ridiculous! These 'rational' post-match comments need highlighting as they cause great harm to society in general and football in particular.

Change the world

I have just read (evening of 7th May) that Drogba has apologised. That is something, but Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Profesional Footballers' Association , still "knows where Drogba was coming from". Well it is time that we didn't know those places. Keep emotion in sport but banish verbal and physical abuse. Tell the players and the fans that there is no place for this behaviour - and Gordon, don't have any understanding of this kind of behaviour as it just perpetuates it.