5 of the worst refereeing performances in the last decade (2010-2019)

3. Bjorn Kuipers – Chelsea vs. Paris St. Germain (2016)

Bjorn Kuipers got Zlatan Ibrahimovic's red card horribly wrong

It’s rare that a referee has such a poor game that he makes fans of both teams involved angry, but respected Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers managed that when he had a total stinker during the Champions League quarter-final tie between Chelsea and Paris St. Germain in 2016.

With the tie ending 1-1 in the first leg, things were bound to be tight in the return match at Stamford Bridge, but with the match poised at 0-0, Kuipers bizarrely dismissed PSG’s striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a tackle on Oscar, despite replays seeming to suggest the Swedish player had made no contact with the Brazilian.

Admittedly, Oscar’s reaction may have played a part in the decision, but it was still a questionable, rash call, and Kuipers later admitted that he’d got it wrong, stating that after seeing replays of the incident, he would’ve given a yellow card instead.

But later in the match it was Chelsea’s turn to feel aggrieved, when the Dutch official denied what looked like a clear penalty for the Blues when Diego Costa was fouled in the area by Edinson Cavani. Later, Costa himself could’ve had a red card for an angry shove on Marquinhos – but despite already being booked, the Spaniard got away with it.

Overall, this was a match to forget for a referee who had a reputation as one of Europe’s best.