FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes referees in charge of major matches should come from fully professional leagues in the wake of Chelsea's controversial UEFA Champions League defeat against Barcelona on Wednesday evening.
The performance of Tom Henning Ovrebo in the second leg of the semi-final at Stamford Bridge - which Chelsea lost due to an injury-time goal from Andreas Iniesta - has led to questions over why a referee from Norway was allowed to officiate such a high-profile match.
Ovrebo waved away a succession of Chelsea penalty claims throughout the game while also sending-off Barcelona's Eric Abidal for a challenge on Nicolas Anelka that means the Frenchman will miss the final in Rome against Manchester United.
And the issue has now prompted Blatter - who was in the air during the game and has yet to see the whole match - to reiterate his stance on professional refereeing.
"I will repeat it, and I have been saying it for 10 years at least, we must improve refereeing," he said.
"Improving refereeing in professional football means it's time to have professional referees and we should only use professional referees in high level competitions.
"We have professional referees in England, we have professional referees in all sports in France. We have this kind of professionalism in Italy during the season, they are under contract.
"We have had professional referees in Mexico, in Brazil and in Argentina. We don't have it in Germany - in Germany they are paid per match - and I think this is one of the most important things that refereeing is their profession, this is their job.
"There will always be questions if the referee is good or not good but I will say the future of our game is in the hands of the man with the whistle because there is so much at stake, such as in this match."
Blatter believes the growing pressure from owners and coaches in games that can generate huge sums of money means referees now need to be stronger than ever before.
"The coach is under such pressure from the owners of the club and then he tells the coach: 'If you don't win this match you can look for another job,' and then the coach goes to the players and says: 'Boys, go'. And they say: 'How far?'
"And he says: 'You will see when the referee intervenes'. That's why the referee is so important.
"The referee for me is key for the future but as long as we are in a game where human beings have to make a decision, errors are always possible and then it is to win or to lose and you have to accept that, even if it hurts."
Ovrebo waved away a succession of Chelsea penalty claims throughout the game while also sending-off Barcelona's Eric Abidal for a challenge on Nicolas Anelka that means the Frenchman will miss the final in Rome against Manchester United.
And the issue has now prompted Blatter - who was in the air during the game and has yet to see the whole match - to reiterate his stance on professional refereeing.
"I will repeat it, and I have been saying it for 10 years at least, we must improve refereeing," he said.
"Improving refereeing in professional football means it's time to have professional referees and we should only use professional referees in high level competitions.
"We have professional referees in England, we have professional referees in all sports in France. We have this kind of professionalism in Italy during the season, they are under contract.
"We have had professional referees in Mexico, in Brazil and in Argentina. We don't have it in Germany - in Germany they are paid per match - and I think this is one of the most important things that refereeing is their profession, this is their job.
"There will always be questions if the referee is good or not good but I will say the future of our game is in the hands of the man with the whistle because there is so much at stake, such as in this match."
Blatter believes the growing pressure from owners and coaches in games that can generate huge sums of money means referees now need to be stronger than ever before.
"The coach is under such pressure from the owners of the club and then he tells the coach: 'If you don't win this match you can look for another job,' and then the coach goes to the players and says: 'Boys, go'. And they say: 'How far?'
"And he says: 'You will see when the referee intervenes'. That's why the referee is so important.
"The referee for me is key for the future but as long as we are in a game where human beings have to make a decision, errors are always possible and then it is to win or to lose and you have to accept that, even if it hurts."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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