British cycling great Chris Hoy mistakenly abused by irate football fans on Twitter

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Chelsea\'s Ramires, right, appeals to referee Christopher Foy about an earlier yellow card during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Chelsea at Villa Park, Birmingham, England, Saturday, March 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

LONDON – As Britain’s most successful Olympian, cycling great Chris Hoy is used to being showered with praise from sports fans.

There are occasions, though, when Hoy’s Twitter account is filled with a barrage of abuse.

Disgruntled fans of Chelsea took to the social networking site on Saturday to vent their anger at Premier League referee Chris Foy for sending off two of the team’s players as well as manager Jose Mourinho during a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.

Much of the abuse ended up mistakenly directed at Hoy.

Hoy, a six-time Olympic champion, tweeted Saturday that the abusive messages were “coming thick and fast! With an emphasis on the ‘thick’.”

Football fans made the same mistake after what was perceived as a poor refereeing display by Foy in an FA Cup semifinal match in April last year — just days before Hoy announced his retirement from cycling.

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