Chelsea vs Barcelona 2006: The Del Horno Red Card and Mourinho's 'Theatre'

The tie, and the teenager

Chelsea were the reigning Premier League champions and Mourinho's side had knocked Barcelona out of the same round a year earlier in a 5–4 thriller. Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona arrived with Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o and with a left-footed 18-year-old on the right wing who had played only a handful of Champions League matches. The first leg was goalless and physical for half an hour; Messi's shorts had already been torn by one Del Horno challenge before the one that mattered.

The referee and the decision

Terje Hauge, a Norwegian official, showed Del Horno a straight red in the 37th minute after the left-back charged into Messi near the touchline as the Argentine got past Arjen Robben. Hauge classified the challenge as violent conduct, which carried a three-match tariff. Chelsea played the remaining hour with ten men. Thiago Motta's own goal put them ahead in the 59th minute; John Terry's own goal levelled it in the 71st; Samuel Eto'o won it in the 80th.

Six days later UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body reviewed the incident at Chelsea's request and found it 'falls outside the scope of violent conduct', describing it instead as 'rough play since the player, Del Horno, used excessive force without intention to hit'. The dismissal stood and the ban was set at one match, the second leg in Barcelona. That is the whole shape of the exhibit: the governing body kept the red card but softened the offence.

Theatre

Mourinho's press conference gave the tie its afterlife. 'How do you say cheating in Catalan? Can Messi be suspended for acting? Barcelona is a cultural city with many great theatres and this boy has learned very well. He's learned play-acting.' Messi's reply the next day was flatter: 'I don't do theatre. I got past Robben and Del Horno charged at me with bad intent.' Carles Puyol suggested anyone with doubts 'look at his leg'. The accusation that Barcelona's players exaggerated contact to win cards would follow the club through Inter in 2010 and Madrid in 2011; this is where it was first made about Messi, at 18.

The law as written in 2006

Law 12 in 2005/06 listed serious foul play and violent conduct as separate sending-off offences. Serious foul play was a challenge for the ball that used excessive force or endangered an opponent; violent conduct was excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball. Both were red cards; the difference lay in the suspension tariff. UEFA's reclassification moved Del Horno from the second to the first. Whether excessive force was present at all, or whether Messi's fall made an ordinary foul look like one, is the question the jury votes on.

Cast your ruling

1. Exhibit X

   The Red Card That Started the Argument

   Vote on the Del Horno red card · 0 jurors

Play this controversy

This match is playable. Replay the Bridge With Ten Men, 2006 — a free browser football game puts you in control as Chelsea from the 42th minute, against a referee whose bias level was set by the jury’s verdict on this very incident.

Sources

• UEFA — Del Horno banned for one match (28 February 2006)
• Sky Sports — Del Horno handed reprieve
• ESPN/AP — Messi: 'I don't do theatre' (23 February 2006)
• ESPN — match page, Chelsea 1–2 Barcelona
• GiveMeSport — Mourinho's 'theatres' comments, per BBC Sport
• RTVE — El Barça gana 1–2 al Chelsea: Europa conoció a Messi (video)

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