Fiorentina Playing European Champions League Game against Bayern Munich on Tuesday Night at 8.45pm
Fiorentina are playing Bayern Munich on Tuesday night at 8.45 pm in European Champions League Game. In the previous game, Fiorentina lost 2-1 in Germany. A 1-0 victory would be enough to qualify the Florence team. Over 2.800 German supporters are expected to invade the city. Most of them will arrive either by bus or by Pullman. To implement the security for the city, the City Council has forbidden the selling of alcoholic bevarages on Tuesday, from 8 am to 10 pm in the city centre, and from 8 am to 3 pm in the area of the stadium and inside the stadium. Fiorentina have also introduced 500 more stewards for the security during the game.
After what happened in the first game two weeks ago, the environment is particularly hot. Fiorentina’s supporters were outraged at the referee who urged fan sites to “jam switchboards” of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in protest. Even Italian Soccer Federation President Giancarlo Abete chimed in by declaring the call “a clear crime,” and stating “UEFA itself is the first to be damaged by refereeing like that.”
Despite having been voted Norway's referee of the year five times between 2001 and 2006, this is not Ovrebo’s first controversial call. Last year, he was mobbed by Chelsea fans after he waved away several handball appeals during a game between Chelsea and Barcelona, which caused the game to end in a 1-1 draw. And in 2008, he called an incorrect offside for Luca Toni in a game against Romania which ended in a draw between the two teams. That time as well, the Italian Soccer Federation demanded an apology, which Ovrebo made.
What, if anything, happens next remains to be seen, but Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli is staying positive. “We did everything right on the field,” he jokes, “but failed to double up our marking on the linesman.”
Florence News - b0.03.09.13.39
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