In football and sport in general, teams have various pre-match rituals that they go through before a match begins. The most prominent is a huddle where a team will receive a pep talk by their captain to motivate them to a positive result.
Usually, no one else is allowed to take part in it. However, that wasn't the case this past weekend in the tie between Chelsea and Newcastle. The former side did a huddle that landed the match referee, Paul Tierney, in the middle of it.
This has become a major talking point among the football community. It has been dubbed as, "Huddlegate."
Chelsea manager, Liam Rosenior, has criticised Paul Tierney after a bizarre incident before Chelsea's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle which saw the referee end up in the middle of the Blues' pre-match huddle.
Under Rosenior, Chelsea's players have chosen to do their pre-match huddle around the ball on the centre spot. Prior to the game against Newcastle, there was an unexpected guest right in the middle of them.
There were bemused looks on Chelsea faces as Cole Palmer wrapped his arms around Tierney, who smiled back at the England international.
Rosenior, who revealed Tierney had brought up the huddle in a pre-match chat with his assistant, was asked about the incident after the game and was critical of the referee, who he felt should have awarded Chelsea a penalty for Nick Woltemade's challenge on Palmer, saying he would seek talks with PGMOL.
"I'm disappointed," Rosenior said. "There's more focus and emphasis on the things that don't matter. That is not my decision. That was a decision between the leadership group and the team. There is nothing that they're doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition."
"I'm going to make it really clear. I want to protect my players. I'm respectful to the game. My players made the decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership."
Rosenior added that Tierney referenced a previous incident at Arsenal, when the Chelsea boss reacted angrily to a member of the Gunners staff being in his side's half during the warm-up.
"We had a meeting with the referee, my assistant goes in, the first thing he talks about is our huddle," said Rosenior. "He says about when I complained about Arsenal being in our half, it wasn't the goalkeeper coach that was in our half."
"People were at that game at Arsenal, I said what I said. We're not being disrespectful to the opposition."
"If Paul [Tierney] had focused more on his job, which was to make the right decision, we have a penalty today. I don't think anybody in this room can say that Woltemade doesn't kick Cole Palmer down in the box. So let's focus on the things that are important. My team showing unity is not as important as getting the decisions right on the pitch."
On whether he spoke to Tierney after the game, Rosenior added: "I didn't speak to Paul today or his officials. I thought it wasn't the right thing to do today. But I'll be speaking to PGMOL."
"I'll be speaking to the refs and just trying to get an understanding of why that happened today. We were told in the rule book it's about timing. You can be where you want on timing. I just want to find a solution to this because we're actually talking about something that's nowhere near as important as what's happening on the pitch."
The bizarre sight of Chelsea’s players forming a pre-match huddle around referee Paul Tierney ahead of their game with Newcastle has come in for criticism, with Match of the Day pundit, Ashley Williams, calling it a "farce."
The Blues have made a habit in recent weeks of forming a huddle before kick-off around the ball on the centre spot, with captain Reece James reportedly coming up with the idea.
Against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the players had an unexpected guest in their huddle, with Tierney opting to stand over the ball to prevent potential disputes as the visitors had the kick-off.
Tierney didn't move away despite being encircled; while Chelsea opted to continue their team talk there despite the referee standing in the centre. Several Chelsea players were visibly bemused by his presence and Cole Palmer jokingly hugged him from behind before giving him a quizzical look, with Tierney remaining serene.
Match of the Day pundit and former England goalkeeper, Joe Hart, weighed in, saying: "The huddle is key and Liam Rosenior has talked about it, this just didn’t feel like it should be going on in the Premier League. It felt like some of it could have been addressed before the game, they’ve done it in previous games."
"Paul Tierney’s got a point he wants to make about the opposition having the kick-off and he feels he should be there to protect the ball in case Chelsea do something about it. Sort it out before the game, we don’t need to be seeing this."
Williams added: "I’m as confused as Cole Palmer is as to why Paul Tierney’s standing over the ball and protecting the ball. We know Chelsea’s doing it, I don’t have a problem with it, do it wherever, but for the ref to stand there just makes a farce of the whole thing."
Even more bizarrely, Blues boss Liam Rosenior slammed Tierney after the 1-0 loss, accusing him of being more fixated on the huddle than correctly refereeing the game.
Chelsea’s habit has come in for criticism from other quarters. The players were booed off the pitch at half-time in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa and several Villa players remonstrated with referee, Jarred Gillett, for allowing them to delay the restart with another huddle.
TNT Sports commentator, Steve McManaman, said then: "I think it’s ridiculous to be very honest. Nowadays with the psychological gains to be made, everyone’s coming up with a new silly idea and this is one of them."
Former PGMOL chief, Keith Hackett, strongly disapproved of the team’s behaviour, writing on X: "This incident is not funny. It undermines the authority and integrity of the match official. In his pocket is a yellow card and it should have been out and shown to the captain. Tierney made to look a fool."
Gary Neville has ripped into Chelsea over the bizarre incident that saw their players conduct a pre-match huddle around referee Paul Tierney before their 1-0 defeat by Newcastle on Saturday.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Chelsea have been congregating on or near the centre circle in recent weeks for a huddle but surrounding a referee is an unprecedented step.
Tierney looked utterly bewildered as the players leant in around him, with several stars struggling to keep their focus given the surreal scenes. The awkward episode lasted for around half a minute, during which viewers were left scratching their heads.
It has proven to be a major talking point over recent days and Neville has now weighed in on the situation, suggesting the routine from the Blues is "just for show."
"I thought it was extremely odd, really weird," he said on the Gary Neville Podcast. "I've never been a fan of huddles, because if you've prepared for seven months of a season, four days before a game... weeks before for a football match, and then you have to do a huddle 10 seconds before kick off to talk and motivate each other, you've done something wrong in the build-up as far as I'm concerned."
"No words can help you in my opinion and I never did a huddle here (at Old Trafford) in 20 years - and we were actually against it - because no words should be able to help you five, 10, 15, 30 seconds before a football match."
"You've done all your preparation and you've eaten, slept and stretched well. You've read your set pieces, you've analysed opponents and you know how to nullify them, you know how to create opportunities, you've visualised the game in your mind."
"Then you're in the changing room for 10 minutes pre-match, you've said everything so what more can be said in a huddle out on the pitch."
Neville then added: "It's just for show, absolutely it's just for show. It's almost cultish, for their fans to say look at us we're together. Fans won't be conned by that, they'll judge you on your performances."
Neville was then asked about Chelsea's decision to hold the huddle in the centre circle, which only seemed to increase his frustration.
"Well it wouldn't intimidate a good team," he added. "It didn't intimidate Newcastle who are a good side. It's weird to do it in the centre of the pitch. It's almost like "what's the most gimmicky thing that will make everyone believe we have an amazing spirit."
"It's not conning anybody. I'm not being abrupt or blunt with my words here - the whole thing is a nonsense - stop doing it and let players go in their position. I just don't get it at all."
Neville also weighed in on the controversy of Tierney's presence in the centre of the huddle in one of the most surreal sights of the season.
Neville added: "Two things; 1) he should have said let me get out of here, Paul Tierney should have not stayed in the middle of that huddle. And, 2) the players of Chelsea should have let him out or just done the huddle somewhere slightly different. It was just absolutely bizarre, and it really frustrated me. "
"To go and lose 1-0 off the back of it too, I can't think of anything more ridiculous and they should stop it straight away. Nip it in the bud. I don't get it at all and I'd be interested to know if the Chelsea players buy into it.. I don't get it at all and I'd be interested to know if the Chelsea players buy into it."
Liam Rosenior insisted Chelsea's controversial pre-match huddle is not meant to antagonise opponents.
The Blues have taken to holding their pre-match get-together in the centre of the pitch, with some pundits claiming the move is disrespectful to the opposition.
Rosenior is adamant the ritual is not designed to intimidate but he opted against confirming if they would continue to do it in the Champions League last-16 second leg against holders PSG at Stamford Bridge.
"I think it's been blown out of proportion. It's a small thing among many serious things that we need to address, such as the massive game against PSG," Rosenior told reporters on Monday
"The lads have always wanted to show unity and togetherness, think they'll continue to do that. But what we don't want is to antagonise and bring more noise on ourselves."
Rosenior said he plans to meet this week with the referees' organisation PGMOL to discuss decisions that have gone against his team.
"I think it's a distraction for the media," he said.
"The huddle was something the players wanted to show unity. They're a good group. We never wanted to antagonise anyone or create noise. We have a huge game against PSG tomorrow. We have an opportunity to do something really special. We know we need to be perfect. I'd rather focus on that."
Thierry Henry has hit out at Liam Rosenior for tuning away after Alejandro Garnacho's mistake cost Chelsea against Newcastle United. The Blues suffered a damaging 1-0 home loss to Newcastle on the weekend.
Henry, who was on Monday Night Football before Brentford's home clash with Wolves, highlighted Garnacho's attempt at pressing the Newcastle defender. He claimed the ex-Manchester United forward should've curved his press to block the passing lane to Livramento, who was free in the middle of the pitch.
While the Arsenal legend admitted Garnacho made a mistake, he did not like the sight of Rosenior turning away in frustration after Newcastle scored. Henry said: "The way he went to put pressure there Garnacho, it's very important that we're going to talk about it."
"At that particular moment, you have the info yourself that [Trevoh] Chalobah was maybe going there [stepping forward], but you know he's stopped and Livramento is alone. So at that particular moment you know you're going to make a little turn or arc your run to make sure that the ball doesn't go in, and then they play on Malick Thiaw here."
Chelsea's attempts to silence a leak in their camp appear to have failed - with a French news outlet publishing apparent details of their team selection hours before they are due to face Paris Saint-Germain.
France's Onze Mondial claim Wesley Fofana, at fault for goals in the first leg in Paris and against Newcastle United at the weekend, will be on the bench for the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Instead, 20-year-old Jorrel Hato is reported to be starting at centre-back alongside Trevoh Chalobah.
Right back, Malo Gusto, missed training on Monday through sickness and is also a doubt for tonight's game leaving Chelsea having to revamp their back four.
Onze Mondial's report is the second time in a week Chelsea's team news has been 'leaked'. Last week, boss Liam Rosenior vowed to investigate after his entire team selection for the Parc des Princes first leg made it into the French press hours before kick-off.
"I wasn't aware," Rosenior said of the leak. "I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of that if that's the case."
That hunt has seemingly failed, if Onze Mondial's report proves to be true. The latest report will spark more speculation around who in Chelsea's camp is leaking information after news reached a French outlet for a second time.
Last year, Manchester United were extremely frustrated over accusations circulating online that Alejandro Garnacho - now of Chelsea - or Amada Diallo could be to blame for repeatedly leaking their line-ups before matches.
Sources said United wouldn't accept either player being wrongfully accused without any evidence whatsoever. Both players emphatically denied any wrongdoing, and there were concerns that online fan accounts were simply using the United stars’ names to grow their following.
Chelsea also have a large French contingent in their squad - including Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Gusto - while many of their players have links to France through agents or sister club, Strasbourg.
Fofana, signed from Leicester City for £70million in 2022, has come under scrutiny after Chelsea shipped five goals in Paris before he was caught out in the defeat by Newcastle - as spotted by Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports.
"Look, he's got a head start and yet, [goalscorer Anthony Gordon] catches up three yards on him," Redknapp said. "You can talk all you like about how the press was wrong, no. That, my friend, is wrong. Sprint."
"He doesn't, because he doesn't believe he's going to pass it to him. Then he has the audacity to put his arms out, I don't know what he's complaining about. If you run, you stop the goal."
The rest of Chelsea's team looks likely to include Robert Sanchez in goal - with under-fire Filip Jorgensen injured - and Marc Cucurella in defence.
Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo all look likely to start while Pedro Neto is free from a suspension threat. Reece James is injured and was replaced Andrey Santos.
*As of this writing, the report was nearly correct. Fofana was definitely benched but it was Mamadou Sarr took his place; not Hato.
They did a huddle vs PSG but it wasn't in the centre circle.
This whole matter is ridiculous. I've watched it happen a few times and it's clear to me that it could've been avoided. One of the players should've requested that Tiernary to stay away for the duration.
To me, this was done deliberately. It's therefore a shame that it was all for nought. It didn't intimidate Newcastle. As Gary Neville said, big teams can't be intimidated.