Anders Frisk (born 18 February 1963 in
GothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest amongst the Nordic countries. Situated on the south-west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 502,833 with 622,287 in the urban area and total of 911,406 inhabitants in the metropolitan area.The City of...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
) is an insurance agent by trade and a former
football refereeA referee presides over a game of association football. The referee has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" , and the referee's decisions regarding facts connected with play are final, so far as the result of the game is...
. Frisk was forced into early retirement from refereeing due to pressure from death threats made against him and his family. These death threats were made by
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
fans because Frisk sent off
Didier DrogbaDidier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League and is the captain and all-time leading scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
in the first leg of the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
against
FC BarcelonaFútbol Club Barcelona , also known simply as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça , is a football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The team was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Spanish men led by Joan Gamper. The club has become a Catalan institution, hence the motto "Més que...
.
- Full name: Per Stefan Anders Frisk
- Date of birth: 18.02.1963
- Place of birth: Gothenburg (SWE)
- Nationality: Swedish
- Hometown: Mölndal (SWE)
- Profession: Insurance
Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known...
agent
- Languages: Swedish, English and German
- Height: 184cm
- Weight: 73kg
Frisk was born on 18 February 1963 in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, and currently lives in Mölndal, his hometown.
Anders Frisk (born 18 February 1963 in
GothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest amongst the Nordic countries. Situated on the south-west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 502,833 with 622,287 in the urban area and total of 911,406 inhabitants in the metropolitan area.The City of...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
) is an insurance agent by trade and a former
football refereeA referee presides over a game of association football. The referee has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" , and the referee's decisions regarding facts connected with play are final, so far as the result of the game is...
. Frisk was forced into early retirement from refereeing due to pressure from death threats made against him and his family. These death threats were made by
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
fans because Frisk sent off
Didier DrogbaDidier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League and is the captain and all-time leading scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
in the first leg of the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
against
FC BarcelonaFútbol Club Barcelona , also known simply as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça , is a football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The team was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Spanish men led by Joan Gamper. The club has become a Catalan institution, hence the motto "Més que...
.
Referee data
- Full name: Per Stefan Anders Frisk
- Date of birth: 18.02.1963
- Place of birth: Gothenburg (SWE)
- Nationality: Swedish
- Hometown: Mölndal (SWE)
- Profession: Insurance
Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known...
agent
- Languages: Swedish, English and German
- Height: 184cm
- Weight: 73kg
Career
Frisk was born on 18 February 1963 in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, and currently lives in Mölndal, his hometown. He began refereeing in 1978 and took charge of
Swedish top-divisionAllsvenskan is the highest league in the league system of Swedish football. The league was created in 1924. Before that, the top league in Sweden had been called Svenska Serien. Since 2008 season 16 teams have taken part instead of 14 previously.- Status :The champions of the Allsvenskan are...
matches for the first time in 1989. He was awarded his
FIFAThe International Federation of Association Football, commonly known by its French acronym, FIFA , is the international governing body of association football. Its headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland, and its current president is Sepp Blatter...
badge in 1991. In addition to refereeing at the highest level, Frisk also acts as an
ambassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents their country. They are usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of their country....
for the
UEFAThe Union of European Football Associations is the administrative and controlling body for European football. It is almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA ....
/
International Committee of the Red CrossThe International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
campaign highlighting the plight of children in war. He traveled to
Sierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the north, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has a population estimated at 6.4 million...
for a first-hand view of the ICRC's work, and declared himself deeply moved by the scenes of reunited families.
1991-1993
In 1991, he travelled to
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
to take charge of matches in the UEFA European Under-16 Championship final round. He became a
FIFAThe International Federation of Association Football, commonly known by its French acronym, FIFA , is the international governing body of association football. Its headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland, and its current president is Sepp Blatter...
international referee at the age of 28, his first international match was Iceland against Turkey on 17 July, 1991. A stint at the FIFA Under-17 World Championship in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
two years later was followed by recognition at elite UEFA levels.
1996
Picked for
Euro 96The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA, and the first to use the "Euro" name. The tournament's final stages took place between 8 June and 30 June 1996...
in England, Frisk refereed the 3-3 thriller group match between
RussiaThe Russia national football team is the national football team of Russia controlled by the Football Union of Russia and affiliated with UEFA. Guus Hiddink is currently managing the team....
and the
Czech RepublicThe Czech national football team is the national football team of the Czech Republic controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic.-History:...
in
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
1999
He was forced to miss the
1998 FIFA World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as hosts by FIFA on 1 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
in 1998 with a back injury, but recovered in time to take charge of the 1999 Confederations Cup final between
BrazilThe Brazil national football team is the national team of Brazil and is managed by the Brazilian Football Confederation that represents Brazil in international football competitions. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships...
and
MexicoThe Mexico national football team represents Mexico in international football competition and is managed by the Mexican Football Federation Association...
in the
Estadio AztecaEstadio Azteca is a stadium in Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América....
,
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
.
2000
The highlight of his career came soon after when he was selected to officiate the
Euro 2000The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, football's governing body in Europe....
final between
FranceThe France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA....
and
ItalyThe Italy national football team represents Italy in international football competition and is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio...
at the
Feijenoord StadionThe Feijenoord Stadion, better known by its nickname De Kuip , is a stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands that was completed in 1937. The name is derived from the area "Feijenoord" in Rotterdam, and from the club with the same name .Capacity at completion: 64,000. Maximum capacity: 69,000...
in
RotterdamRotterdam ; city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands. The municipality is the second largest in the country, with a population of 584,046 as of January 2007...
. The appointment "brought me out in
goose bumpsGoose bumps, also called goose flesh, goose pimples, chill bumps, or the medical term cutis anserina, are the bumps on a person's skin at the base of body hairs which may involuntarily develop when a person is cold or experiences strong emotions such as fear or awe...
," he was later quoted as saying.
2002-2004
After that appointment, Frisk stayed at the forefront of the European refereeing scene. He took charge of two matches in the World Cup in
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
: a group match between Brazil and China, and a second-round match between the Republic of Ireland and Spain. The referee for the Final,
Pierluigi CollinaPierluigi Collina is an Italian former football referee. He is regarded as the best referee of all time.He is still involved in football as non-paid consultant to the Italian Football Referees Association , and is a member of the UEFA Referees Committee.-Career:Collina was born in Bologna and...
, later wrote in his autobiography that Frisk had been the only other official that he had considered to have the credentials to receive the appointment. Later that year, Frisk took charge of the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
semi-final, second leg between
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
and
MonacoAssociation Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a Monégasque football club based in the Principality of Monaco. They play in the Ligue 1 and are one of the most successful clubs in French football, having won seven league titles and five Coupe de France trophies...
. He also appeared at
Euro 2004The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship was the twelfth tournament of the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European nations, and was held in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004...
, refereeing the semi-final between
the NetherlandsThe Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association. It won Euro 88 and reached two consecutive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 but lost both finals to their respective host nations, West Germany...
and
PortugalThe Portuguese national football team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation , finishing 4th at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The first appearance in the 1966 FIFA World Cup saw them reach the semifinal, losing 2 – 1 at Wembley to the eventual world champions England. Portugal finished in...
.
On 15 September 2004, Frisk was forced to abandon a match he was refereeing between AS Roma and Dynamo Kiev at the
Stadio OlimpicoStadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. Assets of CONI, the structure is intended primarily for football. It is the home stadium of S.S. Lazio and A.S...
in the group stage of the 2004-05 Champions League after he was hit by a lighter thrown from the stands as he walked off the field at half-time. He was seen to be bleeding quite heavily and subsequently abandoned the match. UEFA eventually awarded the match to Kiev as a 3–0 forfeit, and ordered that Roma play its remaining two home fixtures in the group stage behind closed doors.
2005
On 12 March Frisk announced his immediate retirement, citing threats made to his family. Two weeks previously, he had been severely criticised by Chelsea fans, players and management following his handling of a UEFA Champions League tie between
BarcelonaFútbol Club Barcelona , also known simply as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça , is a football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The team was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Spanish men led by Joan Gamper. The club has become a Catalan institution, hence the motto "Més que...
and Chelsea, during which he sent off Chelsea's
Didier DrogbaDidier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League and is the captain and all-time leading scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
for receiving two cautions. Chelsea's manager,
José MourinhoJosé Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho,
GOIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is the current manager of Italian Serie A team Internazionale, to whom he is contracted for the following three seasons....
, publicly accused Frisk of having invited the Barça manager,
Frank RijkaardFranklin Edmundo Rijkaard is a Dutch football manager and former player. Rijkaard has played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan, and represented his national side 73 times, scoring 10 goals. In his coaching career, he has been at the helm of the Dutch national side, Sparta Rotterdam and Barcelona...
, into his room at half-time, an act that is against UEFA regulations.
UEFA charged Chelsea with inappropriate conduct following the match. Mourinho received a touchline ban for both legs of Chelsea's quarter-final against Bayern Munich for the suggestion that Rijkaard had entered the officials' dressing room. It was revealed on 7 April that the UEFA venue director, Pascal Fratellia, had observed Rijkaard say hello in the tunnel and then attempt to converse with Frisk about the match on the way to the officials' room. Allegedly Frisk told him that "This is not the place or the moment to talk about the match" and left Rijkaard outside the room.
On 19 December, Frisk was awarded
FIFA's Presidential AwardThe FIFA Presidential Award is an Association football award given annually at the FIFA World Player Gala. It was first awarded by the incumbent President of FIFA Sepp Blatter in 2001, and has been awarded each year since....
as "recognition for a career cut short following death threats against his family" . He presided over 118 international games during his 18 year career.