Swiss referee Urs Meier has gone into hiding with police protection after receiving death threats and hate email from England fans in a backlash fuelled by the Sun.
Speaking by telephone from his secret Swiss address, Mr Meier said he was shocked by the reaction in the UK media and from fans to his refereeing of the England-Portugal game last week - and he singled out the Sun as being the worst offender.
Mr Meier, 45, said he had been forced to leave his home in northern Switzerland after a torrent of media abuse that followed within hours of him disallowing a goal by Sol Campbell in the dying minutes of normal time in the game.
Swiss police are now guarding the referee day and night after advising him to go into hiding following the death threats.
"I am taking these threats very seriously," Mr Meier said, adding he was sent the offending messages after newspapers published his email address.
He said: "I'm absolutely shocked by the media campaign against me and the attacks from the supporters. I always thought the spirit of fair play was important in England, with respect for officials. I never expected this reaction.
"I had a wonderful tournament with three fantastic games, and I'm feeling good about that. But the English newspapers, especially the Sun, have caused a big problem. It is really a big shock for me here in Switzerland.
"I have security problems and this is not the right way to handle referees' decisions, whether they are right or wrong.
"The police are here with me now as we speak. I'm not going to leave Switzerland but am somewhere where nobody knows me."
And he told Lausanne daily paper Le Matin: "This has taken on unacceptable proportions. These people have nothing to do with journalism. They just make things up and lie. They are trying to destroy me. There are limits - and they've been long broken.
"Going after my family, digging into my private life - that's totally unacceptable. I'm not afraid for my own life, but I am afraid of what might happen to my loved ones."
The morning after England were knocked out of Euro 2004, many newspapers led attacks on Mr Meier. The Sun asked readers to "let rip" and send him emails.
The paper claimed the nation was "robbed" by a "half-wit" referee who made a "heartbreaking decision".
This was followed over the weekend by reports in the Daily Mail and the Sun, revealing that Mr Meier had left his wife, Franziska, with whom he has two children, for referee Nicole Petignat. The papers published details of where he lived and worked.
The Sun followed this up early this week by sticking a huge St George flag outside his home in northern Switzerland. By then Mr Meier had already closed his office and left his home.
The media were not the only ones to take umbrage with his decision to disallow Campbell's goal, however.
Last Friday supermarket chain Asda offered Swiss nationals a special free eye test in any one of its 68 optical stores.
"Lets face it, we were robbed," David Rutley, the director of financial services at Asda, was quoted as saying in the British media.
"Sol obviously scored. Well, it was obvious to everyone apart from the Swiss referee, who clearly needs his eyes tested."
Mr Rutley added that Asda had already sent Mr Meier a letter informing him of the offer.
"We've written to Meier telling him that, if he would like to take us up on the offer, we will throw glasses in as well."
Mr Meier is not without his supporters. Swiss radio station NRJ urged Swiss people to telephone the Sun to complain.
Switzerland's two biggest selling newspapers, Blick and 20min, both commended Mr Meier on a good game and said his decision to disallow the England defender's goal was "fair" and "justified" - as one would expect from a neutral Swiss referee.
National daily Blick wrote: "What a game, what a drama. The cool Brits against the hot blooded Portuguese. And the impartial Swiss ref Urs Meier as the cherry on the cake."
It added: "Referee Meier was right to deny the goal - Terry impeded goalkeeper Ricardo."
According to 20min: "Ref Meier gave a good performance. His decision not to allow Campbell's header was correct. Terry hampered Ricardo. But on the island, they'll look at it differently."
The wave of anti-Swiss feeling among England fans claimed its first victim on a Greek island, when a Swiss girl was kicked to the ground and left with a broken arm by England fans after they spotted her wearing a Swiss football shirt.
Manu Peyer, 22, said she had been wearing the t-shirt, showing the red and white Swiss national colours, in a bar on the island of Zakynthos.
Ms Peyer, who is a big England fan, said she had been just as upset as the English over Mr Meier's refusal to count a goal that might have secured the game for England.
Three English hooligans, who were furious when they saw her t-shirt, watched her as she walked home to her holiday apartment before attacking her.
"One of them hit me in the face with his fist and I fell to the ground because of the force of his punch," said Ms Peyer.
The shaven-headed attackers then began kicking her as she lay on the ground.
When the ordeal was over, Ms Peyer had a swollen eye, a squashed nose and a broken arm. She had to go to hospital for treatment. She has also been forced to take leave from work.
"I think they beat me up because of Meyer's ominous call on the goal," Ms Peyer told Swiss radio after she had returned to her home town of Zurich.
Nevertheless, she said she planned to support the English team in the future because "after all, most of the English are good people".
Mr Meier shares this view, despite what he has been through in the past few days.
Speaking to Swissinfo he said: "I like English football and the people in England. I spent my holidays there last year and I know not all the people are the same.
"But some of the fans are really overheated now and it isn't right that newspapers like the Sun should invade a person's private life in this way."
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