The worst refereeing decisions in football history

Football is one of the most popular sports in the world, and referees are under intense pressure to make correct decisions. Sometimes referees get it horribly wrong. We look at the worst decisions ever in football.

Without doubt, one of the most controversial episodes in World Cup history, set against the background of the Falklands War, that took place a couple of years before. Argentina was playing against rival England in 1986, when star player Diego Maradona tipped the ball into England's goal with his left hand, towering over goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

England were furious and claimed a handball, but referee Ali Bennaceur gave the goal to Argentina, to everyone's surprise. The South Americans would win the match and claim their second world title, and Maradona's goal would forever be nicknamed 'the Hand of God'.

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Another hotly contested phase took place during the 1966 World Cup final, when hosts England took on West Germany at a packed Wembley Stadium. After 11 minutes of extra time, Geoff Hurst (pictured right) shot at the enemy goal and hit the crossbar.

The ball bounced on or behind the line and went back into play. Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst was unsure whether it was a goal or not and relied on the judgement of Tofiq Bahramov, one of his linesmen, who conceded the goal. England won 4-2 and Hurst scored a hat-trick, but his second goal is still disputed today.

England has been embroiled in a lot of controversies at the World Cup, including in 2010, when they faced Germany again in the round of 16. Die Mannschaft took a 2-0 lead, but England fought its way back to 2-1 and gained momentum, which resulted in Frank Lampard scoring the 2-2. Or not?

The former Chelsea captain beat Manuel Neuer (pictured) with a cheeky shot that came off the crossbar and clearly crossed the line. Everyone in the stadium and at home could see it was a goal, but it was not given. A crucial decision, as the Three Lions did not recover from that blow and were sent home 4-1.

Arjen Robben was one of the best wingers of his generation. The Dutchman was known for his dribbling and shooting skills, but also for sometimes simulating fouls, something Mexico experienced first-hand during the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The Mexicans opened the scoring through Giovani Dos Santos (pictured right), but the Dutch hit back with a goal from Wesley Sneijder and went in search of a second when Arjen Robben went down after a challenge from Rafa Márquez. Referee Pedro Proença pointed to the spot and awarded a penalty to the Netherlands, an offer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar did not turn down: 2-1. The Dutch held on to their lead, and the Mexican fans were so upset they launched an online campaign called 'No era penal' ('It wasn't a penalty'). There are even songs that refer to the goal.

From the World Cup, we move to the Champions League, and more specifically to the 2005 edition, when Liverpool and Chelsea faced each other in the semi-finals. The first leg at Stamford Bridge ended 0-0, so it was up to the second leg to decide the battle between the two Premier League giants. In a close match, it was Liverpool who scored the only goal through Luis Garcia, although Chelsea still disagreed that the ball was over the line when William Gallas cleared it.

The goal is disputed to this day, but if Liverpool had not gone through, football fans would have missed out on the epic final in Istanbul against AC Milan. It's all in the details.

Back to the World Cup then, by far the most contested tournament in this list. In 2006, Italy faced a strong Australian side in the round of 16, a game that was decided in the dying minutes, after Fabio Grosso looked for contact with Lucas Neill and went down theatrically.

The Italians were unfazed by the late chance to seal the deal, and it was Francesco Totti who sent the brave Socceroos home and brought the Azzurri one step closer to World Cup glory.

In 2009, France and the Republic of Ireland played play-offs to decide who would go to the 2010 World Cup. Les Bleus won the first game in Ireland 0-1 and seemed ready for South Africa, but a goal by Robbie Keane sent the clash into extra time. That's when Thierry Henry summoned his inner Diego Maradona.

The French striker clearly controlled the ball with his left hand before offering William Gallas the winning goal. Outraged, the Irish saw their World Cup dream come to an end and Henry is still persona non grata in Ireland.

In 2002, Brazil and Turkey took on each other in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup, when Rivaldo thought it was time to show off his best acting skills.

Hakan Unsal kicked the ball to Rivaldo, who was hit on the leg, but went down dramatically and held his hands in front of his face as if in pain. Unsal was sent off with a second yellow, and Brazil won the game 2-1. The rest is World Cup history.

Twenty years earlier, at the 1982 World Cup, West Germany played against France in the semi-finals, a thriller that ended 3-3 and was decided on penalties, in West Germany's favour (5-4). After the match, however, many people were talking about Harald Schumacher's (pictured centrally) scandalous challenge on Patrick Battiston in the second half.

Schumacher hit the Frenchman full-force as he came out of his goal and did not want to play the ball, it seems. It was a scandalous challenge, that left Battiston unconscious and resulted in two broken teeth and serious rib and vertebrae damage. To make matters worse, the referee did not even whistle for a foul and Schumacher got away scot-free.

More recently, PSG faced Newcastle United on the penultimate day of the Champions League 2023/24 group stage. The Magpies took the lead in Paris and looked to have things wrapped up...until the game took an unexpected turn when the ball hit Tino Livramento's arm. Not quite so cut and dry though, it came off his chest first and the defender did not make any deliberate or unnatural movement towards it.

However, referee Szymon Marciniak was implacable after a VAR intervention and gave PSG a penalty kick, which was converted by Kylian Mbappé and handed the Parisians three important points. However, the consensus was that it was a cheap penalty kick, and the English pundits and fans could not get their heads around the referee's decision.