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Poor referees cost us title, says Grant
Simon Johnson, Football Correspondent14 May 2008
Avram Grant today criticised English referees and pleaded with UEFA not to appoint one for next week's Champions League Final.
Europe's governing body will decide on Monday who will officiate the Moscow match between Chelsea and Manchester United.
Blues boss Grant is hoping for a non-English appointment, claiming that referees in this country cost his club the title.
Chelsea finished two points short of the title and Grant is still ruing the performances of the referees in United's win against his side earlier in the season and also in their title-deciding victory against Wigan on Sunday.
Referee Mike Dean was in charge at Old Trafford in Grant's first game in September and a few of his controversial decisions were blamed for Chelsea's 2-0 defeat, while Steve Bennett came in for a lot of criticism this week for his handling of United's 2-0 win at the JJB stadium on Sunday.
Bennett failed to award a penalty when Rio Ferdinand handled Jason Koumas's shot in the area and also failed to show Paul Scholes a second yellow card after he fouled Wilson Palacios.
Grant is hoping for a different story next Wednesday and said: "I told you I believed in the tradition of the fair English game. I will not say anything against it, but what happened is what I expected. In England there are very good refs but there are a few of them that can be influenced, like you saw.
"I think the first game against Manchester at Old Trafford the referee influenced the result.
"The red card for Mikel was not a red card [in that game], but there should have been a red card for Scholes on Sunday. There was also the penalty that was, but you know what, it's finished. In this case there are some coincidences, that's all, but again I congratulate Manchester United."
When asked if he will be pleased if an English referee is not appointed, he added: "Yes."
However, a UEFA spokesman said today: "It is possible an English referee could referee the final between two English teams. There is nothing in the regulations to forbid it. The decision will be taken by the UEFA referees committee."
Reader views (1)
What a shame Grant had to lose his dignity and join the petulant club of which Fergie and Wenger are co-founders.
Blessed with a chairman that has given his club such riches that most of the other clubs would die for, he has to go and blame the referees for the shortcomings of his season.
Over a season, every club will find decisions that go against them. Spurs lost out of the Champions League a few seasons back because only the referee at Old Trafford did not see the ball and the goalkeeper were over the line when Spurs 'scored.' That and food poisoning cost Spurs millions and yet the manager kept his own wise counsel and his mouth shut.
Any football club that operated under normal business conditions would have been bankrupted by the payroll Chelsea can afford thanks to the largesse of its owner.
Celebrate that, Grant and show some dignity. Don't be a whinger like Wenger and those other spoilt managers.
Perhaps you would have won the title if you did not have so many African players who had to play in their Cup competition. A season is not just a few games. You did very well, so shut up now.
- Stephen Rothbart, Prague, Czech Republic, 14/05/2008 17:18
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