Wednesday, May 17 2006 14:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Paris: A linesman due to officiate at Wednesday's Champions League final has been replaced after admitting 'stupidly' being photographed posing in a Barcelona shirt ahead of their showdown with Arsenal.

Photographs showing Norwegian match official Ole Hermann Borgan smiling and laughing while proudly wearing a Barcelona jersey were published in Norway's Drammens Tidende newspaper Tuesday.

The embarrassing controversy threatened to cause uproar on the eve of the final although both Arsenal and Barcelona indicated they were not bothered by the incident.

A statement released by European football's governing body UEFA late Tuesday said that Borgan had been relieved of his dutires for the match.

"The UEFA Referees Committee has decided that the Norwegian should be substituted by his compatriot Arild Sundet," the statement said.

"The decision comes after a photograph of Borgan wearing a Barcelona replica shirt was published in his local newspaper," he said.

Earlier in a statement read out by embarrassed Norwegian match referee Terje Hauge, Borgan said sorry for the stunt.



"He agrees it was a stupid thing to do and on reflection he regrets it," Hauge said. "I can assure you that the official is not a Barcelona supporter.



"It was just something he did out of joy for being picked to officiate in this event. He put the shirt on just to symbolise being picked for the final. It was just a stupid thing for him to do," he said.

Both Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and his Barcelona counterpart Frank Rijkaard were non-plussed by the match official's sartorial faux pas. "I don't think it's something for us to be too worried about," said Wenger.

"I never think about the referees before a match," he said.

"I have no reason to doubt their honesty or the integrity of the referees, and I don't want to contribute to what would be a useless controversy," he said.

Rijkaard shrugged when told of the affair.

"I think that now Arsenal has to give him a shirt and take a photo to make it 1-1," the Dutchman said.

"We can blow it up but I'm not questioning the mentality of the referee. Why is wearing a Barcelona shirt silly? I thought he was on his holiday," he said.

"So let's get him in an Arsenal shirt and we'll make it equal," he said.

The Norwegian Football Association has reprimanded Borgan, who earlier explained that a photographer had asked him to pose with both teams' kits, but he only had Barcelona's to hand.