The accusations were dismissed by Rijkaard, Frisk and UEFA officials who were in the dressing room area. But Mourinho’s comments were blamed for inciting the spate of death threats — some aimed at Frisk’s six children.

Six months ago in Rome, Frisk slumped to the ground with blood pouring from his forehead after being struck by a coin thrown from the stands in a game between Roma and Dynamo Kiev.

Meier was swamped by hostile e-mails last summer after he disallowed a goal by England’s Sol Campbell in England’s loss to Portugal in the quarterfinals of the European championships.

“I was a wounded animal,” he said. “I had the feeling that the English newspapers and people were the hunters. They want to kill me, to finish me off.”

French referee Gilles Veissiere, who has been officiating top games in France for 15 seasons, said he has never before felt under such pressure.

“Football has been taken hostage, and I’m not just talking about the fans at Chelsea,” he said. “I also mean all the so-called fans. It’s intolerable.”

Volker Roth, the head of UEFA referees, suggested a strike might be needed to protect refs’ rights.

“Referees have expressed their support for Anders Frisk,” Volker said. “They’ve noticed the atmosphere is changing and respect for referees is diminishing. A lot needs to change in the behavior of players and coaches.”

Mourinho, who won the European Champions League last season with Porto, is soccer’s best-paid coach. Chelsea is a favorite to win the European title this season.

“It’s clear he’s ruthless in pursuit of success and manipulative,” said John Williams, director of the Centre for the Sociology of Sport at the University of Leicester. “Things which he appears to say off-the-cuff now appear much more consciously aimed at psychological game playing. His comments about Frisk fit into that area. They are aimed at subverting the authority of the referee, doing whatever it takes to get a result.”

Mourinho has not apologized, and has not been fined by UEFA. Later this month, UEFA will consider Mourinho’s charges that Rijkaard affected Frisk’s officiating in the Feb. 23 game.

“If the game continues to lose referees like this then we can’t play the game,” Williams said. “The officials cannot be placed in positions of intolerable pressure. Without referees, we can’t have a game.”

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