Retired referee Tom Henning Ovrebo has admitted his handling of Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final with Barcelona in 2009 was ‘not my best day’.
The Norwegian referee was heavily criticised by the English club’s fans and players after not awarding any of four penalty appeals in a game where Barca advanced with Andres Iniesta’s last minute strike.
“It was not my best day,” Ovrebo admitted in an interview with Marca.
“Any referee can make the sorts of mistakes I made in that match, as players and a Coach are also not free from making errors.
“Sometimes you do not perform at the level you should do and I have to say that I am not proud of that performance, as there was several errors.
“Everybody will have an opinion on the incidents but again, I must repeat that referee’s mistakes are highlighted in a way that other peoples are not.
“You should not have your career defined by one game although many people unfortunately see it this way.
“I was used to the pressure, but in-play sometimes you see things differently and it’s as simple as that.”
