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The performances of referees in football is always an area that courts controversy, and even in the seasons prior to the introduction of the questionable VAR system, the acts of certain officials were brought under the microscope and caused anger and disbelief amongst fans.
The decade from 2000 to 2009 caused names such as Graham Poll, Tom Henning Ovrebo and Urs Meier enter the football lexicon for all of the wrong reasons, and unfortunately, we’ve seen referees put on performances just as bad during the decade from 2010 to 2019.
Here are 5 of the worst refereeing performances of the last decade (2010-2019).
1. Andre Marriner – Chelsea vs. Arsenal (2014)
Every now and then, the world of football is stunned by a refereeing mistake so bad that it almost seems surreal; think Graham Poll awarding Josip Simunic three yellow cards during the 2006 World Cup, for instance. 2014 saw one of those huge mistakes from Premier League referee Andre Marriner during Chelsea’s 6-0 win over London rivals Arsenal.
With Chelsea already 2-0 up thanks to a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, Eden Hazard looked to add a third, shooting beyond the dive of Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny, only for midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to decide to turn goalkeeper himself, turning the ball around the post with an outstretched hand.
Referee Marriner quite rightly awarded the Blues a penalty, but instead of sending Chamberlain off, a bizarre case of mistaken identity saw him instead show defender Kieran Gibbs the red card, despite the protestations of his Gunners teammates, including the guilty Chamberlain.
Quite what Marriner was thinking, we’ll probably never know. Marriner later apologised for the error – but not before he was thoroughly condemned by former ref Clive Thomas, who labelled it “the most disgusting and shocking decision” he’d ever seen.
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2. Martin Atkinson – Chelsea vs. Burnley (2015)
Another controversial officiating performance during a match involving Chelsea, this time Premier League ref Martin Atkinson came into the firing line for a horrendous showing in the Blues’ 1-1 draw with Burnley in February 2015.
Atkinson completely lost control of a foul-filled match, with both sides committing 9 offences, but somehow only receiving three cards between them. The biggest flashpoint was a stunning red card for Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, who was dismissed after shoving Ashley Barnes after the Burnley striker had committed a high-studded, x-rated tackle on him.
Somehow Barnes escaped punishment, angering Chelsea fans who were already frustrated with Atkinson’s performance after he denied them two seemingly clear penalties – one for a hand-ball by Michael Kightly and one for a foul on striker Diego Costa by Jason Shackell.
Respected former referee Keith Hackett labelled Atkinson “incompetent” for his performance, while Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was furious, stating that Atkinson’s officiating was inconsistent and made four important mistakes.
3. Bjorn Kuipers – Chelsea vs. Paris St. Germain (2016)
It’s rare that a referee has such a poor game that he makes fans of both teams involved angry, but respected Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers managed that when he had a total stinker during the Champions League quarter-final tie between Chelsea and Paris St. Germain in 2016.
With the tie ending 1-1 in the first leg, things were bound to be tight in the return match at Stamford Bridge, but with the match poised at 0-0, Kuipers bizarrely dismissed PSG’s striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a tackle on Oscar, despite replays seeming to suggest the Swedish player had made no contact with the Brazilian.
Admittedly, Oscar’s reaction may have played a part in the decision, but it was still a questionable, rash call, and Kuipers later admitted that he’d got it wrong, stating that after seeing replays of the incident, he would’ve given a yellow card instead.
But later in the match it was Chelsea’s turn to feel aggrieved, when the Dutch official denied what looked like a clear penalty for the Blues when Diego Costa was fouled in the area by Edinson Cavani. Later, Costa himself could’ve had a red card for an angry shove on Marquinhos – but despite already being booked, the Spaniard got away with it.
Overall, this was a match to forget for a referee who had a reputation as one of Europe’s best.
4. Kevin Friend – Manchester United vs. Bournemouth (2017)
Premier League ref Kevin Friend was no stranger to controversy when he took charge of Manchester United’s 2017 clash with Bournemouth; his performance in a 2015 match between Southampton and Liverpool left his name trending for all the wrong reasons after a series of errors, but his showing at Old Trafford in 2017 was even worse.
During an ill-tempered game, somehow Friend managed to miss a blatant stamp by Cherries defender Tyrone Mings to the head of Zlatan Ibrahimovic during the first half. Evidently the decision didn’t sit well with Ibrahimovic – who took his revenge later in the game with a blatant elbow to Mings as the two men jostled for the ball during a corner.
Again, Friend missed the infraction entirely – only to award Bournemouth’s Andrew Surman a second yellow card for his part in the melee that followed Ibrahimovic’s elbow, but only after being reminded by his assistant that the midfielder had already been booked.
It was a baffling call, and left Friend in the firing line, with former referee Keith Hackett later labelling him a “rabbit in the headlights” and stating that his performance was the worst refereeing job in some time.
5. Antonio Mateu Lahoz – Manchester City vs. Liverpool (2018)
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was reportedly already concerned with the appointment of Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for his side’s crucial Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool in 2018, after the official had put in a poor showing in City’s loss to Monaco in the competition during the previous season.
As it turned out, he was right to be worried. Lahoz – an eccentric character known for turning up to stadiums wearing sunglasses and giving thumbs ups to the fans – winked at the camera pre-game and then bizarrely produced six yellow cards during a match which simply wasn’t dirty enough to warrant them.
Even worse for Guardiola, he wrongly chalked off a goal from Leroy Sane for offside – and then sent the Spanish boss to the stands when he angrily charged onto the pitch to protest the decision. City ended up losing the game 1-2, crashing out of the competition, and their fans – and boss – were left furious with Lahoz.
Post-match, Guardiola stated that “whenever people see things, he will decide the opposite”, which seemed to be a calmer response than some City fans, with one stating that the Spaniard’s officiating job had been “pathetic”.
