6 hours ago
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A lip reader has revealed what was said by Levi Colwill during the Chelsea star's furious rant towards a referee.
The Blues defender was livid after Benfica were awarded a 93rd-minute penalty during their Club World Cup last-16 clash on Saturday. Angel Di Maria converted the spot kick to make it 1-1 and send the game to extra time.
But the Portuguese side could not continue their momentum into the final half hour, and Chelsea responded by scoring three goals to win the game 4-1 and tee up a quarter-final clash with Brazilian club Palmeiras.
The penalty came after a storm warning triggered a lightning protocol involving a full evacuation and a 30‑minute suspension, which reset with every new strike - delaying the match for 1 hour and 53 minutes.
The lightning‑ridden chaos stretched the game to nearly five hours in total, undoubtedly fuelling the mounting frustrations at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Chelsea conceded a penalty after VAR flagged Malo Gusto for a handball. By this point, Colwill had reached his breaking point.
I fell in love with Levi Colwill from this moment more and more. Proper captain material. At some point I was thinking, 'Leave the ref,' but man refused and said his piece.
Levi Colwill let out a furious rant at the referee after Chelsea conceded a penalty vs Benfica
Colwill told Slavko Vincic: 'F***ing s***, you're f***ing s***, you're s*** referee… disgrace.'
The defender's frustrations were likely heightened as the penalty came just minutes after play restarted following a two-hour weather delay
The 22-year-old wagged his finger in official Slavko Vincic's face while letting out multiple expletives, according to expert lip reader Jeremy Freeman.
'F***ing s***, you're f***ing s***, you're s*** referee… disgrace,' Colwill said.
Despite Chelsea going on to win the game, Colwill was not the only one who was in angered spirits, with manager Enzo Maresca also airing out his frustrations afterwards.
'For me personally, it's not football,' the Italian tactician said. 'It's already seven, eight, nine games that they suspended.
'I think it's a joke, to be honest. It's not football. It's not for us. You cannot be inside. If you suspend seven or eight games that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition.'
This was the sixth weather‑related stoppage at venues across the US during the Club World Cup.
Other games suspended due to storms have been Benfica versus Auckland City in Orlando, Ulsan versus Mamelodi Sundowns in Orlando, Red Bull Salzburg versus Pachuca in Cincinnati, Boca Juniors versus Auckland City in Nashville, and Palmeiras versus Al Ahly in New Jersey.
Chelsea were fortunate that another suspension was not enforced in extra time, as FIFA bodies at the stadium were nervous that their weather trackers had spied a new storm arriving in the area.
Chelsea's match saw already the sixth weather-related stoppage at this year's Club World Cup
The Blues will face Brazilian club Palmeiras in the quarter-finals in Philadelphia next Saturday
Maresca added fuel to claims from fans that the US are not ready to host the 2026 World Cup.
Many have raised concerns about the country’s weather, as well as their gun laws, limited public transportation, and relatively low football culture.
The Chelsea boss added: 'It's not normal to suspend a game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Zero, probably. In Europe, how many games? Zero.
'We are here [in America] two weeks, they've already suspended six, seven games. There is some problem for me personally.'
