#3 Three yellow cards for Josip Simunic
There are some things in football that can never really die, and one of them is the controversies created by refereeing decisions. In almost every other game—regardless of the tournament—there is at least one officiating incident that becomes the topic of discussion among the fans and pundits alike.
One such encounter that is remembered more due to terrible officiating than the football itself was a 2006 World Cup match between Croatia and Australia. After having picked a booking in the 61st minute, Simunic was once again shown a yellow card for a rash challenge in the 90th minute.
Players are usually sent off after the second yellow…that’s supposedly the rule, it seems. However, referee Graham Poll failed to produce the red card, much to the surprise of even Simunic. So he went out to set it right and three minutes later, argued vehemently with Poll.
This prompted the official to produce the third yellow and this time, the red card finally appeared. The event was so embarrassing for Poll that he retired from officiating international games right after the World Cup.
