Standing in the middle of a pitch with a crowd of around 40,000 questioning your fitness and ability to get decisions right is a real test of mental strength . Having a group of athletic , testosterone-fuelled players surrounding you , trying to intimidate and bully you into making a decision which favours them , is almost too much to bear . And I am incredulous that Gary Neville and John Terry seem to think this harassment of referees is now somehow acceptable . John Terry ( centre ) led the protests as he screamed at the referee following Ibrahimovic 's first-half challenge . In November 2006 I reported Chelsea and their players for attempting to intimidate me during a game at Tottenham . I asked the FA to study a specific incident , which was clear on video , when I felt intimidated and pressurised to give a decision . The FA reviewed the footage and said as I did not look frightened or intimidated , they would not be taking the case any further . Chelsea captain John Terry is sent off by referee Graham Poll during a match with Tottenham in 2006 . Chelsea captain John Terry ( left ) reacts after Ibrahimovic 's tackle on Oscar in the first-half at Stamford Bridge . The Chelsea players surround referee Bjorn Kuipers at Stamford Bridge as he brandishes the red card . This is not a case of Chelsea- bashing , although it was their players again who demonstrated that apparently anything is acceptable now in the pursuit of winning a football match . Ganging up on referees is happening more and more and unless something is done to reverse the trend , it will get worse . We have former England captain Terry saying that hounding a referee is OK because everyone does it . On Wednesday night I am sure that Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers was influenced after being harassed by Chelsea ’ s outfield players . There was nothing in his body language to suggest he was about to reach for his red card and send off Paris Saint-Germain ’ s Zlatan Ibrahimovic until all that pressure was brought to bear . Chelsea 's players surround referee Bjorn Kuipers as he sends off Zlatan Ibrahimovic ( second right ) Some observers will suggest that referees could just brandish cards at players who apply too much pressure . However , players know that there is no credibility in showing multiple yellow cards at such incidents . Instead , the time has come to rule that only the captains should be allowed to approach the referee .
Sky Sports players swarmed referee Bjorn Kuipers to influence a red card for PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic during their Champions League exit . Chelsea pundit Jamie Carragher branded their behavior a 'disgrace ' However Blues captain John Terry defended his side 's actions .