Top 15 Worst Referee Decisions

Yes, we do understand that refereeing is very tough job. Yes, we also do understand that many of the blunders we see in our weekly dose of football are probably just misjudgments. It is not easy to please any or both of the parties, and give a decision over a cup of tea and a few crackers. But here are the top 15 blatantly despicable decisions taken by the referees which have changed the course of the game drastically!

Some very famous ones, like Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” was omitted, because the footballing world unanimously forgives the ref for that one. (Except them Englishmen, of course!)

15. Brisbane Roar vs Perth Glory, A-League Grand Final, 2012

When a penalty is given, you know it is enough to change the game. How about when it’s the finals of a league, and the atmosphere is electric?

Late in the game, scores even. Brisbane Roar player runs in to score a goal. Dribbles past one, two.. and then he mis-hits the ball. Loses balance. Falls down. Pleads for penalty. Decision given. So late in the game, there’s hardly any time to come back. You can look at the celebrations when Brisbane Roar were just awarded the penalty!

Obviously, Brisbane Roar won the game and the League.

Well, this is just for the gags. The referee, Dougie Smith is a very hard man to please, or maybe he just doesn’t understand humour!

While the match was going on, Mr. Dougie’s card had fallen off.Paul Gascoigne, being the classiest player as well as the entertainer he was, mockingly and comically ‘booked’ the referee by showing him the yellow card right before handing it back to him. But Smith wasn’t pleased, and Gascoigne got booked right there. The game had 7 bookings overall, and the game ended with a huge 7-0 win for the Rangers. Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed!

Most of the Premier League fans know about this one. Manchester United were leading 1-0 up against Spurs, and around the 85th minute, Nani crashed into the ground from a tackle from Kaboul. The penalty was not given. But hey, that’s not why it should be featured in the worst decisions! It was assumed that Nani had simulated a part of the fall, after Kaboul was seen pulling the Portuguese’s shirt, and it was a fair decision as there was some uncertainty involved.

BUT. As he was sputtering on the ground, Nani grabbed the ball by his hands. No whistles yet. Probably they didn’t see it. Goalkeeper Gomes took the ball, and the game continued. Gomes assumed it to be a freekick, as the ball was held by Nani earlier, and hence he rolled the ball ahead. Nani swoops in from behind, and while the goalkeeper was dazed, slotted the ball neatly into the net. And the goal was given.

This goal is probably one of those few ones in which the referee’s fault was not giving a decision.

Who doesn’t remember this one!

Germany and England have been quite on the battlefront, in and out of the football grounds. It was simply not to be for the English team, as it has been for quite some time now on that eventful night during the 2010 World Cup being played in South Africa. Germany were 2-0 up, before half time. Steven Gerrard though, helped get one back for the team in Red, by a brilliant freekick, reaching Matthew Upson, who slotted it home. Just before the half time whistle, Frank Lampard launched this brilliantly hit shot which bounced of the bar of the goal post, to drop inside the line and back again outside. The goal wasn’t given, and England trailed 2-1 at half-time. Replays showed the ball clearly crossing the line.

Had that goal been given, England would have been equal at 2-2 and maybe they wouldn’t have shared the same fate at the end of the match as they lost 4-1 after conceding two more in the second half. This sparked a controversy, and the requirement of goal-line technology had a new story in its folders.

11. Chelsea vs Barcelona, UEFA Champions League, 2009- Ovrebo’s horrors

I am pretty sure this might be one of the worst matches for the Chelsea fans out there. Playing on a semi-final stage at one of the highest levels in European football, one would expect the game to be a sad one. But maybe the referee had something else in mind. Blatant errors followed.

Chelsea were on a spree of denied penalties, some being Busquets elbow, a punch by Valdes, a handball by Pique and various others. No jokes. The set written wasn’t the end. Ballack and Drogba were at wits end, and the referee was blamed at large for the English team’s exit. You have to watch it to believe the clarity with which he misjudged.

10. England vs West Germany, FIFA World Cup, 1966- The one HUGE mistake

Yet another England vs Germany game. Yet another one in the World Cup. But this time, the results are even more consequential.
1966 World Cup was the only World Cup the English side has ever won, despite quite literally inventing the game in its modern form. But, the way they won it is debatable.

Score tied at 2-2. Finals. Geoff Hurst, burst through the German defence, having a clear chance at goal. He strikes it, and it hits the bar and it’s way in, probably. Just the usual stuff. But no it isn’t!
The ball actually hit the line and was not entirely inside! The linesman at first believed the same, but after arguing with the referee he was forced to change his decision.

England won their only World Cup defeating West Germany in that game 4-2.

https://youtu.be/fxVtScYFT6c

The title race was heating up and was strong. Leeds was in a serious position to win the title, and required a win in every game to probably see them through. Ray Tinkler, the referee, though cost Leeds the game, and later the season in all. The linesman clearly lifted the flag to signal the West Brom player Colin Sugget to be offside. Quite obviously, the Leeds defense stops short, in anticipation of a freekick from their own half. But, oh, it wasn’t to be. Tinkler didn’t notice the signal from his own linesman, and the game continued. With the Leeds defenders rooted to the ground, an easy goal was scored.

Later on, Leeds lost the season to Arsenal and many of their fans still blame Tinkler for the season.

The stage was set, African Nations Cup, the most prestigious cup for the African continent. Move ahead to the finals of the 2000 edition, where Nigeria play Cameroon in the finals. The heat was on and the match even after the 90 full played minutes, ended at an even 2-2 with goals from Chukwu and Okocha for Nigeria, and Eto’o and Mboma for Cameroon. Extra Time couldn’t separate them either, and the game moves on to penalty shootouts.

Tunisian referee, Daami, though wasn’t really having his best day. After each team took 3 penalties each, Cameroon had scored all 3, while Nigeria had missed one. Up steps Ikpeba, and hits a straight strong shot which hits the top of the bar. The ball rebounds across the line, into the goal and bounces back outside. The goal is not given, as the referee felt the ball had never entered the goal, costing the team the trophy. ‘Nigeria appears to have been prevented from lifting the Cup by the CAF-appointed officials,’ announced the Nigerian state television. As expected, riots followed.

We all know and adore Rivaldo. A part of the legendary golden Brazil team, playing with the likes of Ronaldo, Cafu, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos among others. He is respected for his football skill and flair on the ground. But what he did at Ulsan, South Korea was despicable of sorts.

A late corner in the first Group C game for Brazil. Turkish midfielder Hakan Unsal passes the ball to Rivaldo, for him to take the corner. The ball, which wasn’t slow, hit Rivaldo on his thighs. Melodrama began as Rivaldo started holding his face and falling down to the ground, as if in agonizing pain. The referee without any second thoughts gave Unsal his second yellow, which sent him out of the game.

What was disheartening was to see the linesman right behind Rivaldo watching all of it happen and yet doesn’t seem to notice the fact that the ball hit the thighs and not his face. Brazil won the match, and again beat the Turkish team in the semi-finals.

Oh yea. Brilliance. We have been weeping about the level of refereeing at English football. But this one is one step ahead, He wanted to stand out of the crowd.

Back in 2008, a bright English summer’s day a goal was given out of nowhere. The Watford team were 1-0 down early, thanks to an own goal by John Eustace. Or was it?

A very “close look” at the replay indicates the ball was absolutely nowhere close to the goalpost, let alone being a goal! The referee, Stuart Atwel,  didn’t notice it, and trusted his sideick lineman to help him out. Just that he trusted the wrong guy. After having a long debate, the goal was given.

As Englishmen would say, “Bollocks!”

https://youtu.be/cpx80-blGBY

“You have got to be kidding me. ” First words out of my mouth. A crazy string of events unfolded for Ankaragusu. Another day, another match. Another typical corner kick. And then it happens. After bouncing off the heads and foots inside the box, the ball finally is sent home by the referee’s head.

Generally, if the referee is involved, the drop ball is used. But hey, when you have a referee to score headers in like that, who needs a striker?

P.S- The referee was in offside position. And the goal still stood.

Europe’s final World Cup slot was in contention between France and Ireland. While Ireland hadn’t played the World Cup after 2002, France had reached the finals of the 2006 edition, losing to Italy. The game was even at 1-1, and the game had reached extra time., giving Ireland a glimmer of hope of qualification.

Closing moments of the first half of extra time, and a deep ball comes in for the French team. Henry finds himself close to the goalpost, ‘somehow’ controls the ball, and passes it on to William Gallas who scores the winner. On closer inspection, it was clear that Thierry Henry had used his hand to control the ball. Irish players did notice it and furiously claimed the same to the referee, but all to a deaf ear.

The handball was so very obvious that Thierry Henry admitted it himself and also felt it was unfair. France went on to play in the 2010 World Cup, which  included the  famous Anelka fiasco. Karma? Maybe.

Well, most of us know that when a player gets his second yellow card, he is automatically handed a red card. But maybe the referee Graham Poll had forgotten it. Either that, or he had forgotten how to count.

Josep Simunic had been shown a yellow card at 63′ in Croatia’s final Group stage game with Australia. A yellow card means a cautionary warning. At 90′ after again creating a mess of a tackle, with the score 2-2, he again received a yellow card. But there was no red card for the Croatian, much to the fury of the Australian players.

This allowed him to play the critical final minutes which he technically shouldn’t have played.

You’d think that Simunic would have considered him unbelievably lucky for being on the pitch and would have learnt his lesson.

BUT NO! What’s worse is the 3rd yellow card, along with the red card, came close to the final whistle. At least justice was served?

An awful good number of bad refereeing decisions have been seen in the World Cup, as you must have already seen. This one, though is of a whole new level. Clive Thomas, the referee of the match, had a nasty reputation, having denied Everton a winner in the 1977 FA Cup semi-finals, and also failed to see a foul which would have possibly allowed Czechoslovakia to push Netherlands out of the European Championships. But that was nothing.

Moving forward to 1978, Brazil vs Sweden , World Cup, Argentina. Group 3, the match was tied at 1-1. In the dying minutes, Brazil win a corner. A possible chance to win. As the header came in and Zico headed it in, ready to celebrate his winner, he rather held his head in dismay. as the referee had blown the whistle to end the match moments before the ball had been slotted home. Although Brazil did qualify to the second round being second in the group stage, defeating Austria, they came 3rd overall, losing to Argentina. Some goals are probably never meant to be.

1. Santa Cruzense vs Atletico Sorocaba – Ball-boy scores the goal, 2006-07 – Blind, or out of his mind?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQx2_KQVkpI

Yes, you read the caption of the video right. In a weird turn of events in Brazil, a goal was given when the ball boy, as a joke, put the ball inside the net. In a match between Santa Cruzense and Atletico Sorocaba, the  original shot was shot disappointingly a long way away from the goal. The players and the referee turned their back to walk back to the halfway line waiting for the goal-kick. This is when the ball boy does his cameo. The ball boy just for the laughs, maybe, put the ball over the line. The referee quite simply gave the goal, as if it’s in the rule books allowing the score to even out at 1-1 at full time.

Although later, justice was served and the referee was duly suspended.