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The WC 2018 is almost upon us and while everyone is excited to see the big stars and some great football, plenty of fans will also be looking forward to some kind of controversy, too.
Last time around 2014’s tournament saw Luis Suarez’s infamous bite, but that doesn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to the World Cup and unsportsmanlike behaviour.
The truth is, for every memorable goal, there have been equally memorable moments that show off the darker side of the game. Here are five of the most unsporting moments in World Cup history.
#1: Frank Rijkaard spits at Rudi Voller, World Cup 1990
England fans might like to think that they’re Germany’s biggest rivals in world football, but the truth is that the rivalry between Germany and the Netherlands is one that runs far deeper for Die Mannschaft.
The roots initially lay within the second World War, but things intensified when West Germany managed to upset Johan Cruyff’s legendary Dutch side to win the World Cup in 1974.
After a handful of unsavoury incidents in games between the two, sparks were almost guaranteed to fly when the two sides faced each other in the round of 16 at the 1990 World Cup.
And indeed, that was the case. In a bad-tempered game, things came to a head when Dutch midfielder Frank Rijkaard scythed down Germany striker Rudi Voller.
The referee understandably brandished a yellow card, but Rijkaard simply saw red and as the official turned away, he spat into Voller’s mullet.
Voller was understandably furious, but when he launched a verbal tirade at Rijkaard, it only earned him a booking – the referee having missed the spitting incident entirely.
Minutes later, the two clashed again after a rough challenge by Voller and this time the official had seen enough, and showed both men the red card – much to the horror of Voller, who realistically hadn’t done a lot wrong.
Rijkaard wasn’t done, though. As Voller stood in shock, he aimed another wad of spit directly into the back of his hair again, before heading off the pitch.
Somehow Voller – despite looking incensed – managed to be the bigger man and didn’t confront Rijkaard further.
West Germany had the last laugh – winning the game 2-1 – and despite apologizing years later, Rijkaard’s moment of madness remains one of the most shameful in World Cup history.
#2: The Hand of God, World Cup 1986
It’s the moment that still annoys England fans to this day, over 30 years on. While the majority of football fans prefer to remember Diego Maradona’s amazing second goal in Argentina’s quarter-final match with England in the 1986 World Cup – the so-called ‘Goal of the Century’ – the truth is that he probably shouldn’t have been on the pitch to score the goal, as he probably should’ve been sent off instead for an earlier piece of horribly unsporting behaviour.
Early in the second half, with the game tied at 0-0, England defender Steve Hodge miscued a clearance, sending the ball scything wildly up into the air inside England’s penalty box.
It looked like goalkeeper Peter Shilton would easily claim it, but somehow Maradona got there first – by clearly punching the ball over him and into the net.
The Argentine forward celebrated the goal like it was legitimate and despite England’s best protests, the referee missed the foul and allowed it to stand. Four minutes later, his classic slaloming run led to his second goal and England’s World Cup was all but over.
Post-match Maradona claimed the goal had been scored “with a little of the head of Maradona, and a little of the hand of God”, giving the incident its famous epithet.
In reality, though it was a massively unsporting piece of behavior by a man who clearly knew no limits when it came to how far he’d go to win.
#3: Suarez’s handball and celebration, World Cup 2010
Despite the legendary Pele predicting that a team from Africa would win the World Cup by 2000, by the time the 19th iteration of the tournament rolled around in 2010, the best any African team had done was reach the quarter-finals.
But in 2010, Ghana were looking to change all of that by reaching the semi-finals – in the first tournament on African soil, too.
With their quarter-final against Uruguay all tied up at 1-1, the game went to extra-time, and with Ghana pushing for the killer second goal with seconds remaining, a goalmouth scramble ensued which ended when Uruguayan star striker Luis Suarez blatantly handled Dominic Adiyah’s shot and prevented it hitting the back of the net.
Despite claiming the move was instinctual, Suarez was rightly sent off and left the field on the verge of tears. Ghana had a penalty and it seemed like a given that the outstanding Asamoah Gyan would score.
But the pressure caused him to buckle and his shot wildly struck the bar rather than the back of the net.
If Suarez’s handball was simply the act of someone desperate to win, his next act was that of a disgustingly poor sportsman.
On the edge of the dugout, Suarez realized Gyan had missed and sprinted around celebrating as if he’d won the World Cup itself.
Sure, he’d probably saved Uruguay’s World Cup hopes – but he’d done it illegally and celebrating it like that made him one of the game’s biggest villains.
Showing football doesn’t always reward karma, Uruguay went on to win a penalty shoot-out, breaking the hearts of not only African football fans, but fans of good sportsmanship all over the world.
#4: Rivaldo feigns being struck in the face, World Cup 2002
In his prime, Brazilian forward Rivaldo was a truly world-class performer, capable of spectacular feats on the pitch that few other players could match.
Unfortunately, despite some excellent showings in the World Cup during the 1998 and 2002 tournaments, he’s most remembered by fans for a seriously unsporting moment in 2002 that eventually saw him fined around £5000.
In a meeting with Turkey in the opening fixture of the group stages, Brazil were leading 2-1 as the game’s dying minutes ticked away.
Rivaldo had actually scored Brazil’s second goal from the penalty spot in the 87th minute, and as Brazil were awarded a corner with minutes remaining, he decided to stall for time and made no attempt to fetch the ball, which sat on the edge of the Turkish penalty area.
Annoyed by this, Turkish defender Hakan Unsal – who had already been shown a yellow card – decided to kick the ball towards Rivaldo, and despite it clearly striking him lightly on the thigh, he fell down like he’d been shot, clutching his face in apparent agony in the process.
The referee, convinced by the Brazilian’s play-acting, drew out a second yellow card and sent Unsal off.
Despite being slapped with the £5000 fine for his actions Rivaldo seemed unapologetic after the game – claiming that while the ball hadn’t hit him in the face, he was “still the victim”.
Granted, Unsal probably shouldn’t have kicked the ball towards him, but there could be no doubt that Rivaldo’s play-acting – and shameless attitude afterwards – was amongst the most unsporting actions in World Cup history.
#5: Bilic gets Blanc sent off, World Cup 1998
Former Croatian defender Slaven Bilic now has a reputation as one of football’s nice guys, but his behaviour in the 1998 World Cup semi-final certainly suggested otherwise.
His side were facing hosts France, and with Les Bleus going into a 2-1 lead with about fifteen minutes to go, he evidently decided that desperate times meant for desperate measures.
As France were about to take a corner, the players began to jostle for position in the Croatian box, and French defender Laurent Blanc looked to shake off his marker, Bilic.
As Blanc turned away from him, Bilic suddenly hit the deck like he’d been shot – clutching his face for good measure – and the referee immediately blew his whistle.
Seconds later, an incredulous Blanc was shown the red card for a supposed elbow – while Bilic remained on the ground to seemingly ensure that his opponent was dismissed.
Post-match, Bilic was condemned for his actions by all corners, despite claiming that he was struck in the face – something that the replays showed clearly wasn’t true.
Unfortunately for Blanc – one of France’s outstanding performers during the tournament – there were no rules to be able to overturn the incorrect red card, and he was forced to miss France’s triumph over Brazil in the final.
This was a piece of unsporting behaviour with possibly the worst consequences, as not only did it cause Blanc to receive the only red card of his career, but it forced him out of what would’ve been the biggest game of his career, too – a total injustice in every sense of the word.
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