1: Enemies of Football

As Chelsea faced Barcelona in the 2004/05 Champions League, the club was about to navigate unchartered waters. Jose Mourinho and his men were disrupting the European game and the continent's elite didn't like it one bit. Come the end of the Blues' Last-16 clash, UEFA labelled them as the "Enemies of Football", referee Anders Frisk retired from the game on account of death threats and a modern rivalry between Chelsea and the Catalan giants was born. Mourinho and his new club had arrived on the biggest stage. The Roman Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge had suddenly gone international. Things would never be the same again. This is the inside story of how it all happened. In this episode you will hear from: Steve Clarke, Frank Lampard, Tore Andre Flo, Frank Leboeuf, Jody Morris, Colin Hutchinson, Simon Johnson (The Athletic), Peter Drury (Commentator), David "Stamford Chidge" Chidgey (Chelsea Fancast), Rick Glanvill (Chelsea FC Historian) and Martin Tyler (Commentator). The Blueprint is written by Garry Hayes and narrated by Ceri Levy. *** You can support this podcast on Apple Podcasts by subscribing to Blueprint+ for ad-free streaming and bonus episodes. If you listen elsewhere, we have a Patreon that gives access to bonus episodes and other content. Our Patreon: https://patreon.com/ChelseaBlueprint *** This is another HWY61 production. For more podcasts like this, visit www.HWY61.media Our theme music "Blue Day '23" is composed by Mike Connaris with bed arrangements by Jake Bradford-Sharp. It's used under license from Mcasso Music. Archive used in this episode is courtesy of Chelsea TV.