The Barcelona 'Conspiracy'

Undoubtedly, Pep Guardiola's Barcelona are the best footballing side in the world at the moment. They've brushed aside so many teams across so many competitions, whether it be in their own domestic La Liga, in Europe in the Champions League, and further overseas in the Club World Championship with wins over sides from Argentina and Brazil. But, there is a lingering sour taste in the mouth from several sides which offers up the question, do Barcelona receive preferential treatment from officials and governing bodies?

On the face of it, people will argue that this is clearly not true, and merely point to the Catalans success as example of their supreme footballing ability ahead of anything or else. Or, if that doesn't cover it, perhaps good fortune or a slice of luck here and there. Yet, there are incredible stats and matches which heavily suggest otherwise. Now, nobody is actually suggesting that there is a genuine 'conspiracy' but it does appear that they do get more than a helping hand.

Starting with that fateful night in West London, May 2009, where Chelsea were denied 4 clear cut penalties and suffered a gut wrenching defeat on away goals, it was almost too bizarre to be true. How could the referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo, not even award on spot kick to the hosts? The picture above shows a shirt pull from Abidal, as clear as can be. There was an even worse decision later, Pique providing a blatant handball in the area. Nobody, not even the most ardent Barcelona supporter, that the referee didn't see these as penalties. Therefore, he had entered the game with a crystal clear vision that he would not award a penalty against the Spanish visitors. 3 years on, we see Barcelona oust AC Milan in the Camp Nou, this time due to them getting a dubious penalty for a fairly innocuous shirt pull from Nesta. Firstly, for the referee to give this he should automatically be giving a penalty every single time a corner or free kick comes into the box, and also this penalty was awarded before the ball was even in play -against the rules of football. It simply appears too good to be true. Luck, or something more sinister? You can make your own minds up, but the stats certainly point one way.

However, there is something all together more alarming about the potential help that Barcelona are receiving from UEFA. Over the last 3 season, Barcelona have played 9 knockout ties in the Champions League. It is often noted how it is a benefit having the first leg away from home, as you can then fall back onto home comforts and home supports - and with Barcelona currently 53 games unbeaten everybody knows their strengths in front of their own fans. In these 9 ties, Barcelona have played 8 first legs away from home. The only one they didn't? The un-deserved triumph over Chelsea. Surely, this is too much of a co-incidence. To be repeatedly drawn favourably may of course just simply be luck, but over 3 years and 9 ties, it's almost too much to take.

While no slight against officials and governing bodies favouring the current European Champions will ever be proved, all football fans can make their own mind up. However, I will leave you with the words of Jose Mourinho, talking about the upcoming Chelsea vs Barcelona semi final - 'Chelsea won't be allowed to reach the final, and you know why'.

Odds on the 2011//12 Champions League :

Barcelona 1.95

Real Madrid 4

Bayern Munich 6 (TB's Tip)

Chelsea 12.5

Got an opinion? Think I'm completely wrong? Get in touch on Twitter, by searching by under Harry Aitkenhead or @aitkenheadhj

HA