Terry blasts Drogba and Bosingwa bans

Chelsea captain John Terry on Friday criticised the punishments meted out to his team-mates Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa for their reactions to the club’s Champions League loss to Barcelona.

Ivorian striker Drogba was on Wednesday given a four-game European ban by UEFA, with two games suspended, while Portuguese full-back Bosingwa will have to miss three matches, with a further match suspended.

The pair were punished for their reactions to a 1-1 draw at home to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League, when Andres Iniesta’s injury-time equaliser for the Catalans sent the London club out of the competition on the away goals rule.

Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo rejected a string of penalty appeals from Chelsea during the game and at the final whistle Drogba, who had been substituted, stormed onto the pitch to abuse the official, branding what had happened a “f…(expletive) disgrace” in front of watching TV cameras.

“What happened with Didier and the comments made after the game took the hype away from the referee a little bit,” Terry told British radio station talkSPORT.

“It was a very bad performance from him (Ovrebo), we all realised that. There were three or four clear penalty decisions that we should have had that night and that’s something as a fan and as a player you will never forget.

“It was disappointing. I would like the people in charge to take these things into perspective and realise that after the game Didier came out and apologised for his actions.

“I think he realises that kids were watching and he deserves a ban. But to that extent? I really don’t think so. Maybe a two-match ban.”

Bosingwa referred to the referee as a “thief” in a post-match interview before then retracting his comments and Terry felt that he, too, was harshly treated.

“Jose Bosingwa’s ban, I don’t know where that’s come from,” the England skipper said.

“Obviously every player was feeling what Bosingwa felt and thankfully nobody else said what he said. But he said what every fan and every player was thinking.

“Hopefully Chelsea can appeal and we can get that (the ban) down a little bit because we want those two players for the campaign next year.”