Angry Barcelona stars have branded Chelsea a bunch of thugs. The Spanish giants were left fuming after their Champions League semi-final first leg ended 0-0 in the Nou Camp on Tuesday.
They slated ref Wolfgang Stark for letting bad tackles go, snubbing a penalty and for not sending off Michael Ballack.
Barca ace Xavi said:
“It’s an outrage. There were scandalous incidents. Chelsea players made challenges that were clear bookings and the referee didn’t blow for a foul. In one of them he booked Yaya Toure for protesting his rival didn’t get a booking for a bad foul from behind. There was a team that wanted to play and another that didn’t. It’s a pity. In England they talk about fair play so much. It’s a shame they don’t put that talk into practice. There was no fair play from Chelsea at all. We played football, they did not play anything at all.”
Jose Bosingwa pulled Thierry Henry down in the box after 70 minutes but Stark waved it off. Soon after he failed to book Ballack for the second time for bringing Andres Iniesta down from behind.
And Xavi added:
“The Ballack challenge was a blatant red card but the referee did nothing. We had them holed up in their own penalty area. They did not create a single chance.”
Toure said:
“The referee was more than sad. It seems he came here to help Chelsea. Players like Ballack and John Obi Mikel committed so many fouls and didn’t even get a yellow.”
But bullish Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said: “With our team we can win anywhere.”
These comments add some added spice to the return leg next week at Stamford Bridge. Stark was pretty lenient and Barcelona are hoping that a stricter ref will help them in the return leg.
