After some notable recent blunders, we thought it was high time to look back
at some of the worst refereeing decisions ever made. From the Hand of God to
the mistaken identity of Kieran Gibbs, Max Liu selects ten howlers from the
men in black. We'd love to hear your choices...
Graham Poll issues three yellow cards
Graham Poll was in contention to referee the 2006 World Cup final before this
blunder in the group stage game between Australia and Croatia. Poll booked
Croatian defender Josip Simunic twice but, because he failed to brandish the
inevitable red card along with the second yellow, the player remained on the
field. Shrewd stuff from Simunic but the Croatian then committed a further
bookable offence and, following his third yellow, received his overdue red. Poll
never refereed another international match.
The Reading "ghost goal" at Vicarage Road
Poll showed no professional solidarity with Stuart Atwell when the rookie ref -
a mere 25 at the time - awarded a "ghost goal" for Reading against Watford in
2008. But if Atwell was guilty of one of the strangest decisions in English
football history then linesman Nigel Bannister must share the blame - he told
the young ref that Watford defender John Eustace had put the ball in to his
own net. Everyone on the pitch and in the crowd was utterly bemused.
Pedro Mendes denied winning goal at Old Trafford
Spurs have suffered several Premier League injustices at Old Trafford but
Pedro Mendes's disallowed 55-yard strike in 2005 is the most glaring. Roy
Carroll should have saved the shot comfortably but he managed to fumble only
for referee Mark Clattenburg and his linesman to miss what was evident to
everybody in the stands and watching on TV - the ball crossed the line by at
least a yard. Have you ever seen a more sheepish-looking keeper than
Carroll as he tries to cover up his mistake? Spurs won at Old Trafford in the
league on New Year's Day this season and you can back them at 1.64 5/8
to finish higher than United.
Ben Thatcher assaults Mendes and escapes with a booking
Ben Thatcher Elbow On Pedro Mendes by BroadbandMovies
Poor old Pedro really doesn't like Manchester. If he isn't having a match
winning strike disallowed at OT, he's across town nearly being decapitated.
Joking aside, Dermot Gallagher's decision to give Ben Thatcher a mere yellow
card for this 2006 forearm smash, which left Mendes' unconscious, beggars
belief. The Manchester City full-back was subsequently banned for eight
matches. Hard to imagine a player of his limitations getting a game for City,
who are 1.86 5/6 title favourites, these days.
Rivaldo goes down clutching his face
What was Rivaldo thinking when he went down clutching his face at World Cup
2002? It's always sad to see the world's most gifted players behaving in such
cynical fashion but this example, which occurred during Brazil's opening
match against Turkey, was ridiculous. When Hakan Unsal kicked the ball at
Rivaldo's legs, the Brazilian went down as if he'd been poleaxed and Unsal,
who'd already been booked, was dismissed. Rivaldo was subsequently fined a
paltry amount for "simulation" and Brazil went on to win the tournament. You
can back them at 4.2 16/5 to do so again when they host the World Cup
this summer.
The Hand of God - the greatest player, the worst injustice
England are skilled architects of their own downfall, and we were beneficiaries
of an incorrect decision in 1966, but we've come up against some extremely
poor referees. David Beckham's red card at France 2002, Sol Campbell's
disallowed goal against Portugal in 2004 and even Wayne Rooney's dismissal
against the same team in 2006, could have made it on to this list. But the
Hand of God at Mexico '86 is burned in to the English footballing psyche and
you don't have to be Terry Butcher to regard it as the epitome of sporting
injustice. England are a thoroughly realistic 32.0 31/1 to triumph in Brazil
but could Argentina 6.2 5/1 pull off the ultimate World Cup coup with
victory in their arch rivals' backyard?
Koeman stays on after hauling down Platt
"Linesman! Tell your mate he's lost me my job!" Graham Taylor roared on a
grim October night in 1993, after Holland defender Ronald Koeman hauled
down David Platt when the England player was bursting through to possibly
score a goal that would possibly have taken England to USA '94. There is,
admittedly, a lot of "possibly" in there but Koeman should have been
dismissed. Instead, German referee Karl-Josef Assenmacher issued only a
yellow card to the Dutchman who then scored a free-kick at the other end.
Dennis Bergkamp added a second and Holland won 2-0.
Frank Lampard's disallowed World Cup goal
Germany's 4-1 thrashing of England at the last World Cup was pure ignominy
for fans of Fabio Capello's team. However, had Frank Lampard's first-half
strike been allowed, when the score was 2-1, the matched might have taken a
different direction. Regardless, this was an appalling decision, on the game's
biggest stage. The ball had clearly crossed the line and the incident became a
key example of the need for goal-line technology.
Don Hutchinson's Merseyside winner that never was
Another occasion when Poll distinguished himself... In 2000, with the score
0-0, Liverpool keeper Sander Westerveld took a free-kick in the dying
seconds of a Merseyside derby. You know the drill - keeper hoofs ball up field
and, as it falls, ref blows whistle. Except that Westerveld's clearance struck
Don Hutchinson and bounced in to the Liverpool net, making it 1-0 to Everton.
Poll wasn't having it and disallowed the goal, arguing that he'd already blown
for full-time. Video footage showed that wasn't true and Evertonians were
furious. Fourteen years on, both teams are riding high, with the Toffees
4.6 7/2 to make a late dash in to the top four and Liverpool 2.94 2/1 to
win their first league title for almost a quarter-of-a-century.
Kieran Gibbs sent off for Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain's handball
"Is he saying they look the same?" fumed Ian Wright a couple of weeks ago,
after a case of mistaken identity resulted in Kieran Gibbs being sent off for an
inside the penalty area handball that was committed by Alex Oxlade-
Chamberlain. The guilty Arsenal player identified himself but referee Andre
Marriner remained oblivious and dismissed Gibbs in the first half of this
humiliating defeat against Chelsea. The result all but ended Arsenal's title
hopes while the Blues 8.8 8/1 remain in contention.