The notorious Hand of God goal by Diego Maradona against England has been dubbed the worst officiating blunder in World Cup history.
The first goal in the 1986 quarterfinal in Mexico was scored by an Argentine who punched the ball into the net.
But Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser missed the handball. By 37%, it was ranked as the No. 1 mistake in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
Additionally, England was listed as the No. 2 clanger.
The disallowed goal by Frank Lampard versus Germany in South Africa in 2010 received about 33% of the vote.
The play-off handball assist by France star Thierry Henry is third with 28%. The action prevented Ireland from competing at the 2010 World Cup.
For Samsung UK, a survey of 2,000 football lovers was conducted. Experts prepared a list of the biggest officiating mistakes in football which were subjected to voting.
1. ‘Hand of God’ – Diego Maradona vs England 1986
The most notorious goal in World Cup history was scored by Argentina against England in the quarterfinal of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Six minutes into the second half, with the score still tied 0-0, Maradona chased down an errant clearance by England player Steve Hodge, sprang above goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and flicked the ball past the grizzled veteran with the outside of his left fist.
Argentina scored first after the referee missed the infraction, giving them the lead. Argentina won 2-1 and went on to win the World Cup after Maradona scored the “Goal of the Century” minutes later after dribbling past half of the England lineup.
The scorer gave his first goal its famous name by saying that it had gone in “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God” after the game, when TV replays and pictures plainly showed that Maradona had handled the ball.
He subsequently added: “I was expecting my teammates to embrace me, but nobody showed up. Come hug me, or the referee won’t let it happen, I warned them.”
2. ‘Ghost Goal’ – Frank Lampard vs Germany 2010
Frank Lampard received the ball after the tackle broke just beyond the penalty area.
Moving on to the ball inside shooting distance was exactly the kind of position in which he thrived.
It was typical Lampard strategy to strike the ball early and catch the goalie before he was prepared.
One of the most notorious incidences in football history happened shortly after Upson’s score. On June 27, 2010, Frank Lampard’s attempt bounced off Manuel Neuer’s crossbar and crossed the goal line by around two feet, but it wasn’t recorded as a goal for whatever reason.
3. ‘Handling The Ball’ – Thierry Henry v Ireland 2010
Thierry Henry admitted to the Republic of Ireland players that he handled the ball in the lead-up to his team’s goal that won the World Cup play-off, but Giovanni Trapattoni refused to call him a cheater.
However, the manager acknowledged that Fifa’s fair play campaign had suffered on a night when rumors of a conspiracy and controversy abounded.
When Fifa announced that the play-off draw would be seeded in late September, it caused a stir in Ireland.
4. ‘Phantom Goal’ – Geoff Hurst vs West Germany 1966
Was it inappropriate or not? Following England’s contentious third goal against West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final at Wembley, this controversy raged for years throughout the world.
Eight minutes into extra time, with the score still level at 2-2, Geoff Hurst sprinted into the box but his shot crashed off the underside of the crossbar, bounced down on or over the line, and then was cleared.
West Germans waved their fingers and England players shouted for a goal, but Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst finally awarded the goal after consulting with USSR linesman Tofik Bakhramov. After winning the game 4–2, England won the World Cup.
5. Antonio Rattin’s ‘Violence of the tongue’ – Argentina vs England 1966
Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” in 1986 was seen by many Argentines as retaliation against England for another quarterfinal World Cup matchup between the two nations twenty years prior in which the South Americans felt defrauded.
Hosts Geoff Hurst’s goal in the 78th minute gave England a 1-0 victory over Argentina, but not before Argentina’s captain Antonio Rattin had been scandalously sent off in the 35th for arguing with the referee Rudolf Kreitlein.
Rattin, 29, insulted the Queen after ultimately walking off the field after initially refusing to do so because he thought the referee wanted England to win.
