To paraphrase Mike Piazza’s old comments about Pedro Martinez, how about those Chelsea fans? All that money and they can’t buy class.

From the Guardian’s Marcus Christenson and Jon Brodkin.

The Norwegian referee who sent off Asier del Horno against Barcelona has been warned on an internet chatroom for Chelsea fans in his homeland to expect a flood of death threats. One message urged people to find an email address for the official and another wished he would “burn in hell”.

In worrying echoes of the treatment that prompted Anders Frisk to retire after he sent off Didier Drogba in Chelsea’s defeat at Barcelona last season, Terje Hauge (above) faces a possible campaign of intimidation. He insisted he was right on Wednesday to dismiss Del Horno for a tackle on Lionel Messi, despite criticism by Jose Mourinho.

Frisk and his family were threatened via letters and phone messages after Drogba’s dismissal and was accused by Mourinho of letting Barcelona’s coach Frank Rijkaard into his dressing room. The referee retired when the perpetrators got hold of his home phone number.

In Norway yesterday there was a message on a website for Chelsea supporters saying: “I hope the death threats pour in. Has anyone got the email address of Terje ‘dead’ Hauge?” Another said: “I promise you that you will receive a lot of death threats. Congratulations on your last game as an international referee.”