European referee admits huge mistake in Champions League Round of 16 game last season

Oct 31, 2016 at 3:53 PM

facebook iconlinkedin iconmail icontwitter iconWhatsApp iconTelegram icon
European referee admits huge mistake in Champions League Round of 16 game last season

The world of football is cruel to many but the biggest wrath of the game is experienced by the neutral men in the middle.

The referees of a football game are always under tremendous pressure, to stay neutral and produce decisions that keep both sets of the fans honest during a game.

There are many instances when a referee’s decision cost a club the entire game or even a season if it comes to it and it is not usually something that stays in the memory of many come the start of the new season.

However, one Champions League referee in Bjorn Kuipers has now spoken about a decision he has taken last year.

The Dutch official was the on-field referee for crunch tie at the Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and PSG in the Round of 16 of the competition in March last season.

Chelsea fought hard to come to that point and managed to pick up a well-deserved point from their trip to France as they set up tense encounter at the Stamford Bridge for a place in the quarter-final of the competition.

The game was poised at 0-0 and with half an hour gone, it was hard to separate the two sides on the night.

FBL-EUR-C1-PSG-CHELSEA-PRESSER

There was plenty of quality and it looked like it would take a piece of brilliance or some madness to decide who would go through to the next round.

However, the referee had other ideas as he produced a red card in just the 31st minute of the game.

Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the unlucky man to be sent off on the night as he left his team with just 10 men on the field at the Stamford Bridge a year ago.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was evidently frustrated with the lack of service up front, started to sit deep and try to win the ball in dangerous areas.

However, he took it one step further when he lunged into a tackle of Chelsea attacker Oscar, who was seen rolling on the floor with visible pain after the tackle.

Kuipers immediately showed the red card to the Swede and banished him out of the game.

Here is a video of the incident:

Though this red card provided PSG with more energy on the night as they managed to hold on to a 2-2 draw and move on to the next round on aggregate, Kuipers has now revealed that he made a mistake on the night with Zlatan’s decision.

It is clear that the current Manchester City forward was trying to move away from the tackle and that it was not reckless and Kuipers has now accepted that he has made a mistake regarding that decision.

It is also revealed that the Dutch referee conveyed the same to the Swede after the game and that he apologized for his mistake.

Mistakes are a part of any job and it is nice to see referee ready to admit their mistakes. But they will have to careful in crunch games as one decision can turn out to be season defining.

Related Article
Lionel Messi Could Once Again Face PSG Heat After Skipping Title Celebrations For Coldplay Concert In Barcelona
Lionel Messi Could Once Again Face PSG Heat After Skipping Title Celebrations For Coldplay Concert In Barcelona

May 29, 2023, 6:00 PM


FIFA 22 Ratings Prediction – Paris Saint-Germain
FIFA 22 Ratings Prediction – Paris Saint-Germain

Jul 9, 2021, 12:31 AM


Gianluigi Buffon To Be Dropped For Next Two Ligue 1 Games
Gianluigi Buffon To Be Dropped For Next Two Ligue 1 Games

Aug 25, 2018, 10:58 AM


Transfer News: PSG Makes €270m Offer for Barcelona Midfielder Coutinho
Transfer News: PSG Makes €270m Offer for Barcelona Midfielder Coutinho

Jul 10, 2018, 12:53 PM


Transfer Latest: PSG Completes Signing of Gianluigi Buffon
Transfer Latest: PSG Completes Signing of Gianluigi Buffon

Jul 7, 2018, 2:29 PM


Transfer latest: Real Madrid deny Kylian Mbappe deal
Transfer latest: Real Madrid deny Kylian Mbappe deal

Jul 5, 2018, 10:06 AM


Desktop Banner
Mobile Banner