In the world of football, the person responsible for enforcing the laws of the game during the course of the match is called the referee.
But who in their right mind would want to be a referee?
It takes a lot of time and effort to learn all the rules of the game, to get your fitness up and after all that you have to run around the field for at least 90 minutes, all the 22 players, the two managers and hundreds of fans shouting at you, convinced that whatever decision you take is the wrong one.
Inevitably, fans have the right to be riled by every decision that goes against their team. Players and managers too? It seems all unfair for the referee. Except, obviously, when the referee is actually wrong. Then the referee gets what he deserves.
Everyone can make mistakes – after all, we are all human beings. But when these mistakes account for something big, like a legit goal ruled offside in the World Cup final, then you really have to face the heat.
On that note, here we list the six biggest refereeing mistakes in World Cup history.
#6 Frank Lampard's disallowed goal – Germany v England, 2010
A rampant German side were 2-1 up against England when a long-range effort from English midfielder Frank Lampard hit the underside of the bar and bounced a foot past the goal line before rebounding out.
The goal was not allowed as the officials judged that the ball had not crossed the line. However, later on, the linesman admitted that he could not judge because he was caught by the speed of the strike.
It was a pre-quarter final of the 2010 World Cup, and a goal at that juncture would have seen England draw level at 2-2. Mauricio Espinosa, the Uruguayan who was officiating the game, failed to perceive that Lampard’s shot had actually crossed the line.
England went on to lose the match 4-1 at Bloemfontein. Had the goal been allowed, the story could have been entirely different. However, the worldwide outcry following the incident led FIFA to announce the introduction of the goal-line technology.
#5 Fabio Grosso’s fall – Italy vs Australia 2006
In the second round of the 2006 World Cup, Italy were facing Australia for a place in the quarter-finals. The Azzurri were down to 10 men and had used all three of the allowed substitutes as the game was inevitably inclining towards extra time and players were already showing signs of exhaustion.
It was the final few minutes of injury time when left back Fabio Grosso pounced on a mistake by the Australians and cut into the penalty area, eventually going down under Lucas Neill’s challenge. The referee wasted no time to point to the spot, and Francesco Totti made no mistake in burying the spot kick which was the last kick of the game.
Italy went on to progress to the quarter-finals and eventually lifted the World Cup after a gap of 24 years. However, the legitimacy of the foul on Grosso is still questioned as replays showed that the Italian was certainly looking for a penalty.
It would appear that Grosso had dived as Neill himself went to the ground. While there was definite contact, it could be argued that it was nothing to earn the Italians a penalty kick. Nonetheless, Italians claim that they were worthy winners as they had dominated the game before Marco Materazzi was shown a straight red card for a foul that was worthy of a yellow.
#4 Rudi Voller’s dive – West Germany vs Argentina 1990
Argentina had somehow scraped through to the final of the 1990 World Cup after winning through penalty shootouts in two of the knockout matches. In the final, they were facing the mighty West Germany in Rome and were riding their luck in probably the dullest World Cup final ever.
However, towards the closing stages of the match, two horrific decisions by the referee shut out all possibilities of a second consecutive World Cup for the Argentinians. First, Pedro Monzon was shown the red card after a challenge on Jurgen Klinsmann, who clearly made the most of it.
With five minutes remaining on the watch, Rudi Voller dived in the penalty box after a seemingly harmless challenge. Andreas Brehme did not fail to find the back of the net from the resulting spot kick as West Germany went on to lift the World Cup.
Monzon became the first player to be red carded in a World Cup final ever. For many, it was poetic justice, but the Argentinians cried foul. They claimed that it was a conspiracy as they had ousted hosts Italy in the semi-finals.
#3 South Korea’s golden fortune – 2002 World Cup
The 2002 World Cup is infamous for the huge number of refereeing mistakes that it witnessed. A string of top sides was eliminated as co-hosts South Korea made it to the semi-finals with a little luck, of course.
In the second round, Italy met South Korea, a match which has gone down in infamy for the way the South Koreans were helped along by the referee. First, Damiano Tomassi’s legit goal, which would have been the Golden goal, was disallowed. Moments later Totti was sent off for simulation although replays suggested that he had lost his footing. Then, the Koreans went on to win the match through a controversial penalty given by the Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno for a Christian Panucci tugging offence.
The quarter-final against Spain was also marred with controversial decisions. A Spain goal was ruled out for an offence in the build-up although TV replays could find no such infringement. Another Fernando Morientes goal was ruled out as the linesman wrongly judged that the ball had gone out of play before it was crossed. The Koreans went through on penalties.
#2 Diego Maradona's "hand of God" – Argentina v England, 1986
This is perhaps the most infamous goal in the history of world football. England were facing Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The score was tied at 0-0 six minutes into the second half.
Argentine legend Diego Maradona chased a dismal clearance by English midfielder, Steve Hodge. As the English custodian Peter Shilton rose to collect the ball, Maradona jumped higher up and flicked the ball into the net with the outside of his left fist to give Argentina the lead.
The infringement was not spotted by the referee and the goal was allowed. Commenting after the match, Maradona said that the goal had been scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.” He also added that the Falklands war four years ago was finally avenged with the goal.
Argentina went on to win the World Cup after Maradona scored the ‘Goal of the Century’, dribbling past six English defenders a few minutes after the ‘Hand of God’ incident. Maradona still remains the most hated figure among the English.
#1 Geoff Hurst’s ‘Phantom Goal’ – England vs West Germany 1966
It was a grand occasion. A World Cup final at the historic Wembley stadium between hosts England and Germany back in 1966. Despite being the inventors of the modern game, England had never won a football World Cup until then.
The scores were tied at 2-2 and the game was into the eighth minute of extra-time. England’s striker Geoff Hurst received the ball from Alan Ball and spun to take a strong shot on goal. As he fell to the ground, the ball crashed off the underside of the crossbar, bounced down, before eventually being cleared by Wolfgang Weber.
Whether the ball crossed the line or did not was unclear. The Germans were convinced that the ball was not over the line and wagged their fingers while the English claimed that the ball had certainly crossed the line.
After much consultation with the linesman Tofik Bakhramov from the USSR, the Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst decided that it was indeed a goal. England went on to lift the World Cup, winning the game 4-2 as Hurst scored a hat-trick.
With the help of recent technological developments, it has been proved that the ball did not cross the line. The linesman was later inquired on his deathbed as to why he allowed the goal. Allegedly, he replied, “Stalingrad”, referring to the infamous battle between the Soviets and the Nazis in World War II where more than two million people were killed or wounded.
