European Soccer in Turmoil after Top Ref Quits

For a period of two weeks, referee Anders Frisk's life and that of his family was a living hell.

Death threats, in the form of phone calls and letters, arrived at his home in Sweden on a daily basis. Fans of the London soccer club Chelsea, angry at him for awarding a red card to one of their players in a Champion's League match against FC Barcelona, wouldn't let up.

"Those were the worst 16 days of my career," said Frisk upon stepping down. "I wouldn't let my daughter open the mailbox anymore, out of fear."

Roughly a year before Germany gets ready to host the World Cup, European soccer's governing body UEFA is without one of their top referees and facing increasing criticism that not enough is being done to protect them. A spokesman for UEFA said this week that the organization is trying to convince Frisk to stay on board.

Frisk often the victim

Referee representatives say the climate is such that coaches and fans seem to think they can criticize at will. Swiss ref Urs Meier had suffered a deluge of threats from England fans after making a controversial call against the English side in the European Soccer Championships last June. A paper had published his home address and phone number.

Frisk was hit in the head by a flying object during a Champion's League match he refereed in September between AS Rome and Dynamo Kiev in Rome. UEFA officials immediately called off the match and awarded the win to Kiev. A few months later, fans threw objects at him as he refereed a game between Werder Bremen and FC Valencia.

"His resignation is the result of the irresponsibility on the part of managers," said Volker Roth, head of the German and European referees. "They encourage the fans with their behavior. I imagine Frisk won't be the last to say,' I won't allow myself and my family to go through that.' "

Chelsea coach blamed

Roth took special aim at Jose Mourinho (photo), Chelsea's flamboyant and controversial coach. Following the match, Mourinho raised UEFA's ire by alleging that Frisk consulted with FC Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard during halftime of the match. The accusations were later proved to be unfounded.

"People like Mourinho are the enemy of soccer," Roth told the Swedish daily Aftonbladet. He has refused to apologize for the remarks and appeared nonplussed at Mourinho's announcement that he planned to file a complaint against Roth.

Roth appears to be getting support from other corners. The president of the world soccer body FIFA told reporters that "those who attack referees, attack soccer."

Considering a strike

Germany's own referee community has shown solidarity with the Swede. They have criticized the fact that refs aren't allowed at postgame press conferences to reply to coach criticism and the endless replay of controversial calls on television.

"The question is whether you have to show every controversial episode over and over again in video replay, like we do in Germany, and then mercilessly criticize my colleagues," said referee Eugen Strigel in a newspaper interview. "To ref a match mistake-free is impossible."

Though Europe's referees have not yet threatened to go on strike, Roth said it was a "legal means" to express frustration with the state of affairs.

"We can't just stand by helplessly," said Roth in an interview with a German sports wire service. "I'm really not a friend of strikes, but we need to consider measures" to fight back.