In world football, referees have one of the toughest jobs, as every one of their decisions could have a major role in the outcome of the game, and possibly the season as well. Every referee has to make difficult decisions and will get criticized at some point of time by players, managers and the fans. The good referees are those who can live with criticism and can make the correct decision most of the times. An officials instincts are crucial to their decision making and there is every possibility of him making a serious blunder in a game. For example, the Chelsea vs. Barcelona game in the Champions League a couple of seasons ago drew the ire of Chelsea players, in particular Michael Ballack, who went so far as to run alongside the official for at least 10 yards, screaming and flailing his arms in anger. It was a difficult game for the referee and he came under immense scrutiny. Similarly, in the game between Arsenal and Barcelona, Robin van Persies very harsh sending-off proved to be the difference as the Blaugrana went on to win the tie and also the trophy. A referees decisions have a major impact in the game and it is important that common sense is displayed on the pitch. However, there have been a number of blatant blunders by officials in the past 1. Leeds vs. West Brom (1970-71 Season) Leeds United were in the midst of a title challenge when this inexplicable decision by Ray Tinkler cost them this game and ultimately, the title. The linesman signals West Brom player Colin Suggett offside and the Leeds defense stops dead, but Tinkler allows play to continue and Jeff Astle scores the goal. As a result, Leeds lost their title to Arsenal, leaving their manager and players devastated. 2. Frank Lampards Disallowed Goal in England vs. Germany England against Germany is a fixture that attracts plenty of interest around the world. Though Germany were the better side in this 2010 World Cup encounter, it is still possible that the game could have changed if this goal had been given. With England 2-0 down, they pulled one back through Steven Gerrards superb free-kick to find Matthew Upson. Some time later, Frank Lampard scores a perfectly legitimate goal to equalize, but he is denied because of a poor decision from the linesman. 3. Thierry Henrys Handball for France vs. Ireland With France on the brink of failing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, France striker Thierry Henry committed a blatant handball which helped the country qualify for the tournament at the expense of Ireland, who were fuming at the end of the game. This incident tarnished Henrys image and though there were calls to replay the game, the decision stood, with Henry becoming forever a villain in the eyes of the Irish. 4. Pedro Mendes Disallowed Goal in Manchester United vs. Tottenham Tottenhams Pedro Mendes thought that he had scored a sensational winner right at the death with a long-range shot which was fumbled badly by Manchester Uniteds Roy Carroll. It was a horrible goalkeeping blunder, but the referee commits a bigger error in saving Carroll the embarrassment. He failed to spot the ball crossing the line, which should have been clearly observed. 5. Australia vs. Equatorial Guinea (Blatant Handball) This handball, which is committed by Equatorial Guinea in the 2011 Womens World Cup, is as blatant a handball as you will ever come across. And thats why it is on this list. An Australian player strikes the post and the rebound is caught by a Equatorial Guinea player. She casually throws it to the goalkeeper like shes done nothing wrong. The referee fails to spot this penalty, which baffles Australia and anybody else who saw the incident. 6. Nanis Goal Against Tottenham This is one of the weirdest goals that you would see. It isnt a goalkeeper error, but rather because the referee makes a big blunder. It is clear that Nani catches the ball and play should have been stopped for handball. Referee Mark Clattenburg does not do it and Heurelho Gomes puts the ball on the ground to kick it. Nani kicks the ball straight into the net, capitalizing on Clattenburgs error and the referee allows it to stand. 7. Paul Gascoigne Flashes a Yellow Card and Receives One Paul Gascoigne was one of the most talented footballers to emerge in England, but he was also a entertainer. In this video, referee Dougie Smith drops his yellow card on the pitch. Gascoigne gives it back to the referee in characteristic fashion flashing the yellow at the referee. However, Smith failed to see the lighter side and booked him for his behavior. 8. Referee Scores Goal for Ankaragucu vs Besiktas There are not many referees who play good football, but the referee in this game proves that he is a good goalscorer as he heads this cross into the back of the net. Amazingly though, he does award the goal, leaving the Besiktas players bewildered. 9. Spain vs. South Korea, World Cup 2002 Gary M. Prior/Getty Images South Korea had a dream World Cup in 2002, but they were aided in no small part by the officials, who influenced the games against Spain and Italy to a great extent. 10. Brazilian Ball Boys Goal This is another very bizarre decision by a referee who decides to award the goal despite none of the players claiming the goal immediately after the shot is taken. This is because the shot is wide, but a cheeky ball boy places another ball in the goal and the goal is wrongly awarded in favor of Santacruzense against Atletico Sorocaba. As a result, the Brazilian referee was handed a suspension. Spain were disallowed what looked like two perfectly legitimate goals, with the second blunder the worse of the two. The first one was disallowed for pushing in the area, while the second one was taken back because it was ruled that the ball had gone out of play before being crossed.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 10:38:00 +0000
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