One of the hardest working persons on the pitch, the job of a referee is the toughest in football. They are the game changers apart from the real ones that are meant to do it.Be it aright call or a blunder, the referees are always in the spotlight for their decisions which end up affecting the final result of a game. This World Cup has been littered with refereeing blunderswhich dominated the headlines during the group stages.We look at the top 5 debatable and controversial refereeing decisions from the Round of 16 matches.
#5 Hulks disallowed goal
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A decision that might be up for debate is the goal that was disallowed by Howard Webb for handball in the match between Brazil and Chile.
Replays showed what appeared to be Hulk trapping the ball between his bicep and chest as he tried to bring it down to get the shot off. In real time it looked like a fair call from Webb, however replays have been inconclusive as to whether the ball struck his hand or not.
#4 Nigerias disallowed goal
http://gnli.christianpost.com/video/france-vs-nigeria-1-0-emenike-goal-offside-world-cup-2014-31989
A match, which would have definitely been different if not for the way the referee handled the entire game. It was game that was ill tempered, had a lot of tough challenges, some of which were reckless.
However, the biggest moment of the match came in the 19th minute when Nigeria appeared to take the lead as Emmanuel Emenike turned in Ahmed Musa's cross from the left. But Emenike was ruled offside in a tight decision, and the goal was disallowed.
Replays have not proved whether it was the correct decision as some part of Evra’s body might have played Emenike onside.
#3 Penalty not awarded to Costa Rica
Costa Rica had just gone up 1-0 when Vasilis Torosidis missed a clearing header and handled the ball. It was a clear penalty and one that would have helped Costa Rica wrap up the victory comfortably.
However, neither the referee nor his assistant was able to spot it as they were on the other side of the field. The referee didnt award the penalty after which Greece equalised to take the match to a penalty shoot out.
If Los Ticos wouldnt have prevailed, this decision would have definitely become a very controversial one as it would have meant an end to one of the best underdog stories of this tournament.
#2 The penalty that was given and the one that wasnt
Arjen Robben dominated the headlines for his theatrical dives in the game against Mexico, but it was the penalty that he earned for Netherlands that divided opinions.
Two minutes from time, Robben squirmed his way into the box trying to cut inside from the by line. Rafael Marquez stepped on Robben’s foot, which was a foul, who used it to his advantage to fall theatrically. The penalty was duly awarded.
However, in the first half, Arjen Robben did get fouled by two bad tackles in the Mexican penalty box. Rafael Marquez and Héctor Moreno took down Robben in Mexico’s penalty area, and replays clearly showed that both defenders never touched the ball.
Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca saw nothing wrong with the play, and the game remained scoreless through the first half. In real time it looked a debatable one, but a closer look at the replays suggest it was indeed a penalty.
#1 Offside call on Chris Wondolowski?
One of the most attacking and absorbing games of the World Cup so far was the one between Belgium and USA. The match had a very high tempo and the football played by both teams was end to end with the highlight being Tim Howard’s superhuman efforts in goal for USA.
With the match being goalless and heading to extra time, the USA had a glorious opportunity deep in injury time to win the encounter. Chris Wondolowski, the USA substitute could have been a hero in the dying seconds of the game, but he sent a shot from close range over the crossbar despite being unmarked.
The linesman had incorrectly raised the flag for offside, and if the goal had been scored, it would definitely have created the biggest controversy of the tournament.
