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The world of football is rife with controversies, from questionable transfers to shocking results. Across all leagues—whether it’s the Premier League, La Liga EA Sports, or Italy’s Serie A—matches are often influenced by strange or controversial referee decisions, which can drastically alter the outcome of a game.
Referees hold immense power in shaping the opportunities that players and teams have during a match. Their calls can literally be the difference between victory and defeat!
With that in mind, let’s dive into the Worst Referee Mistakes Ever—a list of incredible errors that changed the course of history in crucial tournaments and competitions!
Table of Contents:
- The Worst Referee Mistakes Ever!
- The Hand of God (1986 World Cup Quarter-Finals)
- Italy Out of the 2002 World Cup (2002 World Cup Round of 16)
- The Fake Hand – Chile vs Italy (World Cup 1998)
- Spain Cannot Win! (2002 World Cup Quarter-Finals)
- Chelsea Eliminated from the Champions League 2008-2009
- The Hand of Thierry Henry in France vs Ireland (2009)
- A Clear Goal of England to Germany that the Referee Did not See (2010)
- Barcelona vs Paris Saint Germain – Champions League 2016-2017
- Málaga vs B. Dortmund – Champions League 2012-2013
- The Robbery of the Century for Panamanians (Copa Oro, 2015)
- Play Fair Games in FootballTeam!
The Worst Referee Mistakes Ever!
Let’s check some of the rudest mistakes in the world football! These mistakes haven’t changed a refereeing career, but yes, one or another football match and even a tournament!
The Hand of God (1986 World Cup Quarter-Finals)
This goal is arguably one of the most famous in football history for two key reasons: it was scored by the legendary Diego Armando Maradona—with his hand! This controversial moment occurred in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England.
With the game tied, after a failed clearance by an English defender, Maradona jumped and used his left hand, positioned close to his head, to knock the ball into the net. The referee, after briefly consulting with his assistant, allowed the goal to stand. This infamous moment became known as the “Hand of God.”
Interestingly, just minutes after this, Maradona scored another goal—dubbed the “Goal of the Century.” These two goals helped Argentina advance to the semifinals and eventually win the World Cup in a thrilling final against West Germany.
Had the referee caught Maradona’s handball, the entire history of that World Cup might have been different!
Italy Out of the 2002 World Cup (2002 World Cup Round of 16)
Italy was eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup in a dramatic match against South Korea, which ended 2-1 in favor of the Koreans. The game was marred by controversial decisions from the Ecuadorian referee, Byron Moreno.
Moreno awarded South Korea a penalty, ignored a clear elbow to Alessandro Del Piero’s face, and disallowed a golden goal by Damiano Tommasi in extra time due to a questionable offside call. These decisions played a pivotal role in Italy’s shocking exit from the tournament.
The Fake Hand – Chile vs Italy (World Cup 1998)
This refereeing error is little known, but for Chileans, it resonates to this day! After several years of not participating in any World Cup (due to an incident at the Maracaná Stadium against Brazil in the qualifiers for Italia 90), Chile went to France 98. In the phase group, the Latin American team faced Italy.
Chile had a great squad and was winning the game 2-1 against the favorites. In the second half, very close to the end of the game, a strange play occurred. Roberto Baggio shot the ball near the Chilean penalty area. Finally, defender Ronald Fuentes touched the ball with his right hand. Both players were very close, making it almost impossible to move the hand to avoid the blow. Referee Lucien Bouchardeau whistled and awarded a penalty.
At that time, the rule of “every touch of the ball with the hand in the penalty area is a penalty” stopped functioning. The penalty depended on the player’s intention. In this case, Ronald Fuentes could not move his hand.
Spain Cannot Win! (2002 World Cup Quarter-Finals)
This situation was very similar to what Italy suffered in the round of 16 of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup but in this case, in the quarterfinals. In short, it was a closely contested match, ending 0-0 in regulation time. Both countries played the next thirty minutes with passion and determination, but Spain did better!
Despite this, Egyptian referee Gamal Al-Ghandour controversially disallowed Fernando Morientes’s golden goal. Al-Ghandour ruled that the forward had lost control of the ball as he dribbled near the line, claiming it had crossed the line—an inaccurate assertion. Additionally, he called three other offside fouls that were also questionable.
Spain and South Korea decided the match on penalties. Finally, Spain lost the match 3-5. To this day, this match angers Spaniards and football fans. Spain would likely have advanced to the semi-finals and the final.
Chelsea Eliminated from the Champions League 2008-2009
The 2008/09 Champions League semi-final is widely regarded as one of the most controversial matches in football history. It featured Chelsea against Barcelona and took place during the 2008-2009 season. The London team felt that the referee, Tom Henning Øvrebø, significantly harmed them with a series of questionable decisions that favored Barcelona.
For instance, a foul committed by Dani Alves inside the penalty area was instead ruled a free kick. Chelsea was denied two clear penalties, and two handballs by Barcelona players in their penalty area went unpunished. Øvrebø’s performance was widely criticized for its inconsistency.
In subsequent years, the referee acknowledged that the match was one of the worst officiating experiences of his career. These controversial decisions had a profound impact on the tournament, as Barcelona went on to win the Champions League by defeating Manchester United, with goals from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi.
The Hand of Thierry Henry in France vs Ireland (2009)
Regarding handball, the French striker Thierry Henry committed a rude foul that the referee, Martin Hansson, didn’t call. It was November 18, 2009, during the second leg of the 2010 FIFA South Africa World Cup play-off between Ireland and France.
France found themselves a goal behind against Ireland when Florent Malouda assisted Thierry Henry near the goal line. However, the ball was challenging to control, and Henry used his hand before setting up William Gallas for an easy goal. The most controversial aspect of the play was that referee Martin Hansson saw the handball but chose not to award a foul.
It was one of the most controversial moments in the history of the World Cup play-offs since Ireland was eliminated and France advanced to the 2010 World Cup. However, France went home after the group stage. Justice served, I would say!
A Clear Goal of England to Germany that the Referee Did not See (2010)
This mistake also happened during the 2010 FIFA World Cup (strangely, many referee mistakes were made in this tournament). The Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda didn’t see a clear goal in favor of England, featuring the ball entering twenty centimeters inside the goal! All the people in the stadium saw it, and all the football fans around the globe saw it!
Although Germany won 4-1 against England, this event occurred in minute 38 of the first half. It is possible that if this goal had been awarded, the match could have changed course. Undoubtedly, it was one of the most controversial decisions of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Keep in mind that VAR officials didn’t exist in those years, so verifying goals if they were unclear was tough.
Barcelona vs Paris Saint Germain – Champions League 2016 – 2017
Do you remember the epic comeback of FC Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2016-17 Champions League? PSG won the first match 4-0, but Barcelona staged an astonishing turnaround in the second one, winning 6-1 in a match filled with controversy, including several questionable refereeing decisions!
The German referee Denis Aytekin performed a more-than-difficult refereeing decision that upset PSG fans! In the first place, the referee awarded two penalties in favor of Barcelona that were not so clear. PSG footballers, as expected, complained against the referee, but he insisted on his poor decision.
Besides, Aytekin did not award a clear penalty in favor of PSG after Mascherano touched the ball with his hand in the penalty area. Finally, the same Mascherano committed a more-than-obvious fault in the penalty area against Di María. The referee should have shown a red card, according to common sense, but this did not happen.
Málaga vs B. Dortmund – Champions League 2012-2013
Manuel Pellegrini’s Málaga was one of the surprising teams in the 2012-13 Champions League season. It advanced to the quarterfinals to face B. Dortmund. Still, this match was not without controversy on the football field!
In the second match played in Germany, Málaga CF lost due to a problematic goal by Felipe Santana in the final minutes of the second half. Still, this goal should have been disallowed, as the ball crossed the last line with the player being offside. The referee should have stopped the game, but he did not.
I guess if the linesman had disallowed the goal, it would have changed the story of the 2012-13 Champions League season since Dortmund reached the final against Bayern Munich. Even so, something that the Malaga fans forget is that the team’s last goal, scored by Eliseu, should also have been disallowed due to the forward’s offside. The final score after full-time was 3-2 in favor of Dortmund.
The Robbery of the Century for Panamanians (Copa Oro, 2015)
The final worst referee mistake in this list happened in the Copa Oro 2015. It is possibly one of the most controversial since Mexico defeated Panama in the semifinal of the tournament, advancing to the final. Still, the match was not free of difficult refereeing decisions, frustration, criticism, and opposite opinions.
The American referee, Mark Geiger, was the star of the night. Eventually, the referee awarded controversial decisions in favor of Mexicans. In the first place, the American expelled a player from Panama. Still, Panama was an advantage for most of the game until, in the last minutes of the match, the referee awarded a penalty to Mexico. This way, both nations went to extra time.
However, that was not all! In minute 105, the referee awarded Mexico another dubious penalty! Managers and footballers exploded in joy and frustration. Mexico scored the goal and advanced to the tournament final. During the match, the referee displayed many yellow cards before and after half-time.
Play Fair Games in FootballTeam!
In FootballTeam, you’ll experience football like never before! In matches, you can receive yellow cards, red cards, face injuries, provide assists, and, of course, score goals! But don’t worry—the referees in FootballTeam are as fair as the best in the Premier League.
Make the correct decision, start your career in FootballTeam, and enjoy the best football manager! Sign up or log into your account and become the best on the football pitch!
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