Tom Henning Øvrebø
Encyclopedia
Tom Henning Øvrebø is a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 football referee. Born in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, Øvrebø is a former UEFA Elite referee, who has refereed matches in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 and UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

. He worked as a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...

 outside of football.

Øvrebø has been heavily criticized on several occasions for his performances and decisions, most notably in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League semi-final between Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 and Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

.

Domestic career

Øvrebø has refereed over two hundred games in the Norwegian Premier League
Tippeligaen
Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...

 since his debut on 20 September 1992. He represents the club Nordstrand
Nordstrand IF
Nordstrand Idrettsforening is a sports club in Oslo, Norway. It was founded in 1919 as a merge between Skiklubben Freidig and Sportsklubben Grane. Among the club's activities are orienteering, skiing and handball. In handball the club has won the National championships several times, both the...

. In 1994, he became an authorised FIFA referee. He won the Kniksen award
Kniksen award
The Kniksen award , established in 1990, acclaims the best players in the Norwegian football premiership. The award is named after the legendary Norwegian football player Roald Jensen, nicknamed "Kniksen".-Category A:...

 as referee of the year in the Norwegian Premier League for 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. He refereed the Norwegian Cup
Norwegian football cup
The Norwegian Football Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament is commonly known as Cupen or NM, an acronym formed...

 finals of 1999 (Rosenborg–Brann) and 2006 (Fredrikstad–Sandefjord
Sandefjord Fotball
Sandefjord Fotball is a Norwegian professional football club, founded on September 10, 1998. The club plays in the Adeccoligaen. Their home ground is the Komplett.no Arena, located in Sandefjord, Vestfold....

).

Euro 2008

Øvrebø was chosen to referee at Euro 2008 — his first major tournament and the first time he was chosen over fellow countryman and colleague Terje Hauge
Terje Hauge
Terje Hauge is a Norwegian football referee from the club Olsvik IL.-Refereeing career:Since he made his debut in 1990, Hauge has refereed 232 matches in the Tippeligaen. He has been an authorised FIFA referee since 1993...

. He refereed the Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...

 match on the opening day of Group B. He refereed the Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...

 match, which resulted in a 1–1 draw. The Italian Football Federation later demanded an apology from UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

 after Luca Toni
Luca Toni
Luca Toni, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus. He has had successful spells at top clubs such as Palermo, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, and Roma...

’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside in the Italy–Romania match that Øvrebø refereed. There was also criticism of the official for a penalty given to Romania and a yellow card to Daniele De Rossi
Daniele De Rossi
Daniele De Rossi, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma. He is the current Roma's vice-captain and nicknamed as Capitan Futuro due to his high probabality as heir-apparent to Francesco Totti's captain armband.With Roma he has won the Coppa Italia...

 at the ending moments of the game. Afterwards, Øvrebø admitted he had made a mistake about the offside decision, which had also been flagged by his assistant. Øvrebø was one of six referees not assigned a match in the knockout stages of Euro 2008.

Champions League 2008–09

Øvrebø was the target of further criticism when refereeing the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League 2008–09
The 2008–09 UEFA Champions League was the 54th edition of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 17th edition under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May 2009. It was the eighth time the European Cup final has been held in...

 semi-final second leg between Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 and Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 on 6 May 2009, turning down at least four penalty appeals by the Chelsea team, and also sending off Barcelona left back Éric Abidal
Éric Abidal
Éric Sylvain Abidal is a French footballer who plays as a left or central defender for FC Barcelona and the France national team.-Club career:...

, though replays show that he did not touch Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...

.

After the final whistle, several Chelsea players confronted Øvrebø on the field including substituted Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...

, who was recorded shouting "It's a fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...

ing disgrace!" into live television cameras. Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...

 labelled the referee's performance as "the worst I have ever seen". Chelsea defender José Bosingwa
José Bosingwa
José Bosingwa da Silva , known as Bosingwa, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, as a right defender.-Early years:...

 also had harsh words for Øvrebø, saying "I don't know if he's a referee or a thief", though he later admitted that he regretted his choice of words. Øvrebø was believed to have been smuggled out of England by police in fears for his safety after receiving a number of death threats. Chelsea quickly moved to distance the club from these threats by reporting via their website "Following media reports claiming threats have been made against the referee, Chelsea Football Club would like to make clear that it condemns any form of threat against players, officials or supporters".

Drogba was subsequently banned for four matches (plus two matches suspended for two years) by UEFA for his behaviour, while Bosingwa was banned for three matches (plus one suspended). As part of the same judgement, Chelsea were fined £85,000 for improper conduct on the part of Chelsea players and fans. Following an appeal by both players, personally attending a hearing in Switzerland, they both had their bans reduced by one match. Prior to the semi-final, Øvrebø had also handled 21 other Champions League games among a total of 48 UEFA matches overall.

A year later, Barcelona players were displeased with referee Olegário Benquerença
Olegário Benquerença
Olegário Manuel Bartolo Faustino Benquerença is a Portuguese football referee. As of 11 March 2009, he has refereed 11 matches in the Champions League and 11 matches in the UEFA Cup . He also refereed in qualifiers for 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, and 2010 FIFA World Cup...

's performance after losing the first leg of the Champions League semi-final 3-1 to Inter Milan. This prompted the then Inter and former Chelsea coach José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....

 to compare Benquerença's and Øvrebø's performances, labeling the latter as "historically bad".

Champions League 2009–10

Øvrebø was once again the centre of controversy during the first-leg knockout match between Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

 and Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...

. After the match, Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli
Cesare Prandelli
Cesare Claudio Prandelli is an Italian football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national football team.-Playing career:...

 was furious with the referee and linesman: “There were some incidents that changed the game — Massimo Gobbi
Massimo Gobbi
Massimo Gobbi is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A side Parma, either as a left back or a midfielder.- Club career :...

's dismissal, Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Josef Klose is a German footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio in the Serie A. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.Klose holds German...

 not getting sent off and the offside goal.”

TV evidence showed and Bayern players and officials admitted that the winning goal scored in the games' last minutes was indeed an offside goal. Asked about the incident, Bayern coach Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...

 stated his support for the introduction of "technical aids" for the referee.

2010 World Cup

In the group stages of qualification for the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

, Øvrebø refereed the Armenia
Armenia national football team
The Armenia national football team represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia, the governing body for football in Armenia...

-Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...

 and Belgium-Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

 matches, as well as the potentially fiery Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...

-Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...

. On 10 October 2009, Øvrebø refereed the Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...

-Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...

 match, where he contentiously awarded a penalty to Greece early in the second period. Latvian manager Aleksandrs Starkovs
Aleksandrs Starkovs
Aleksandrs Starkovs is a Latvian football coach and a former footballer. Starkovs is currently in his second spell as manager of the Latvian national team and is also the manager of FK Baku, having previously managed clubs such as Spartak Moscow in Russia and Skonto FC in Latvia.-Playing...

 voiced his disagreement with the decision, claiming that "there was clearly no foul".

He was among the 14 pre-selected referees from UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

for the final stages in South Africa, but did not make the final cut of 10 representatives from Europe. He therefore ended his international career in May 2010 but will continue in the Norwegian Premier League.
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