Football is no stranger to injustice; finding an honest referee who has never made a bad decision is as rare as finding a Manchester United fan from Manchester. With the introduction of VAR and goal-line technology, these instances are thankfully decreasing. In the past there have been some egregious decisions that have caused public uproar, and here are our top 5.
The Hand Of God
Picture the scene: it’s the 1986 World Cup Quarter Finals, England face Argentina, just 4 years after the Falklands War, and the rivalry is rife. Football legend Diego Maradona is often mentioned in the same sentence as controversy, and this game included plenty of just that!
51 minutes into the game Maradona scored with a blatant handball, the cross came in and Maradona buried it with his hand. Argentina went on to win the match 2-1, much to England’s disgust. The match has been immortalized as one of the most memorable moments in football history;the goal itself was dubbed The Hand Of God Goal.
3 Yellow Cards And A Partridge In A Pear Tree
If you Google World Cup 2006, you’ll be met with lists of controversies. Most notable was Croatian Defender Josip Šimunić’s record 3 yellow cards. Australia fought Croatia for the group’s runners-up spot. The game ended 2-2, but the most interesting feat of the game was the number of times English referee Graham Poll carded a single player. Josip Šimunić received his second yellow in the 90th minute, he should have left the field immediately. Instead, he played a further 3 minutes before shoving referee Poll, resulting in his third yellow card, followed by a red.
Luis Garcia And The Friendly Ghost (Goal)
A ‘Ghost Goal’ is a term often used when referring to a questionable goal. Especially in terms of whether the ball travelled over the goal line. In 2005, Chelsea met Liverpool in a Champions League Semi-Final. The game ended in a 1-nil victory for the reds, the goal’s validity is, however, debatable.
Liverpool winger Luis Garcia attempted an audacious chip over Chelsea keeper Petr Čech, the ball was cleared off the line by French defender William Gallas. Alas, Ľuboš Micheľ awarded the goal all the same. There are two groups of people you don’t wish to anger, football fans and José Mourinho, and Micheľ managed both.
Schumacher Clatters Battiston
Seemingly, the worst referee decisions occur at World Cups. The stakes are high, the pressure is on, mistakes at this level are unlikely to be forgotten. The 1982 World Cup suffered its fair share of poor decisions. The most discussed was West Germany keeper Harold Schumacher’s collision with French Defender Patrick Battiston.
After a long through ball from Michel Platini, Battiston and Schumacher sprinted towards each other in a race for the ball. Battiston reached the ball first, flicking it over Schumacher, Schumacher leapt into the air to move the ball’s path, instead he heavily clattered into Battiston. The aerial challenge left Battiston unconscious, later slipping into a coma, he lost two teeth and cracked 3 ribs as a result of the incident. Surprisingly, Dutch referee Charles Corver did not award a free-kick.
Pedro Mendes Disallowed Goal
In 2005, Spurs Portuguese Midfielder, Pedro Mendes, took a shot at goal from 55 yards, chipping Manchester United Goalkeeper, Roy Carrol. Carrol fumbled the ball, but it had quite obviously passed the goal line, so it was an obvious goal. Well, to everyone except Mark Clattenburg.
Clattenburg failed to award the goal and continued with play. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, much to the disappointment of Tottenham.
This list was created by professional Line Marking company, Bowcom.