Chelsea manager Gus Hiddink should consider the hypocrisy of his suggestions that Barcelona’s victory on Wednesday marked a conspiracy to end Chelsea’s bid for Champions League title, says Carlo Garganese of Goal.com.
At the 2002 World Cup, Hiddink found himself at the other end of accusations, after South Korea’s miraculous wins over Italy and Spain prompted accusations of match-fixing. “When people say it’s all very suspicious then I get rather angry,” Hiddink roared on June 23, 2002. “Italy and Spain should look at themselves and their shortcomings rather than the referee’s.”
In crying foul, Chelsea conveniently overlooked the fact that Barcelona’s Eric Abidal red carded in the 65th looked as if was shown when Nicolas Anelka had tripped over his own feet. This card forced a brave 10-men Barcelona squad to open itself up to the counterattacks that produced more missed calls. Wednesday’s semifinal wasn’t a dubious conspiracy but rather an example of just plain bad officiating that penalized both sides in equal measure.