Frisk quits over safety fears

Anders Frisk has retired from refereeing after receiving threats against himself and his family.

'Safety priority'
"I've never ever experienced anything similar to what I've experienced over the last couple of weeks, and the decision has grown over this period," the Swede said. "It's not worth continuing when it is like this. The safety of the family must be my first priority."

Intense pressure
Frisk came under intense pressure after refereeing the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League first knockout round tie between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona a fortnight ago. "He feared for his own safety after the game and he has made the decision that he can't continue," Bo Karlsson, the chairman of Sweden's football referees' association, said.

'Shame'
"I can confirm that it is Anders' decision to quit," Karlsson said. "It's a shame that it has come to this. Anders has been threatened lately and this has forced him to make his decision. It's a shame that it must come to this."

Match abandoned
The 42-year-old was also forced to abandon a Champions League match between AS Roma and FC Dynamo Kyiv in September after being struck on the head by an object thrown from the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico. Frisk had been scheduled to referee the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Estonia and Slovakia in Tallinn on 26 March.

Well respected
Frisk was one of Europe’s most respected referees. The highlight of his career came when he refereed the final of UEFA EURO 2000™ between France and Italy in Rotterdam. He started refereeing in 1978, and first took charge of a Swedish Allsvenskan match in 1989. He was awarded his FIFA badge in 1991 and refereed in every UEFA European Championship finals and FIFA World Cup from 1996, apart for the 1998 World Cup in France which he missed through injury.