2010 FIFA World Cup Football- Worst Referee Decisions so far
The 19th edition of the FIFA World Cup has brought its shares of controversies and debate, with perhaps some bizarre and unjust referee decisions getting the spot light.
Let’s have a look at these outrageous decisions which perhaps changed the course of the game.
We can start off with Luis Fabiano’s handball goal. Fabiano gave his side the lead against Ivory Coast, after scoring a stunning goal. Moments later, he scored another, which was just out of this world. After getting the ball in the D, he was seen tipping the ball on his chest before controlling the ball and scoring with a powerful strike. Camera’s however later showed that he actually used his hand to control the ball, and the goal was therefore illegal. Referee was later seen asking Fabiano if he used his chest to control the ball, and he agreed. The goal thus stayed.
The football world shook, when Shane Smeltz offside goal against Italy was allowed. Only 7 minutes into the game, New Zealand took an early lead, via Smeltz header. A free kick by Simon Elliot was deflected by Reid to Smeltz who was clearly ahead when he scored. The referee’s assistant couldn’t see it and the goal stayed. Italy managed to equalise but there was nothing more left to the match, and the match was drawn. Had the goal been disallowed, Italy may have won and perhaps had a better chance of staying in the World Cup.
Another error by the referee was seen in the Serbia Germany match. Klose was shown 2 yellows in the first half and was in turn sent off. This was due to a poor performance by the match referee Alberto Undiano. Klose was booked by the Spanish referee over a tangle of legs rather than a deliberate trip. The referee however was too stern and showed the first yellow to Klose. The referee perhaps was in a bad mood and every tackle perhaps earned a yellow card, with five earned just in the first half. Klose was showed the second yellow at the 36th minute when he fouled Serbia’s Dejan Stankovic whilst attempting to win the ball. He was sent off and Germany was down to ten men. Serbia took advantage of the situation and scored moments later. Serbia’s win over Germany was an upset, and this single incident may have been the reason that gave Serbia the advantage. Being one man down is a huge disadvantage, and even with quality the German’s possess, they just couldn’t come back.
The next error was seen in the Round of 16 when Carlos Tevez’s clear offside goal was allowed against Mexico. Both South American teams met in a highly competitive match, and was a must win to qualify for the Quarter finals. Mexico’s goalkeeper, Oscar Perez, punched the ball out, only to find Messi who sent a through ball to Tevez and he scored. He was in a clear offside position as the defenders were behind him. The referee was however deceived as he may have perceived that the Mexican defender were behind him in order to stop Messi’s lob.
In the next case, USA fought back hard after Slovenia pinned them with a 2-0 lead at half time. USA came back, and drew with Slovenia. A late free kick goal from Maurice Edu may have completed one of the greatest come-backs in USA’s history, but was disallowed by the referee. Referee claimed that a foul had taken place as the free kick was being taken, therefore the goal was disallowed. USA drew the match and went on to top the group as well, but this incident was just unfair. The referee refused to explain himself after the match, and was protected by FIFA to give any explanations. There was no foul that could be seen in the replays, and was just plain bad luck of the USA to be disallowed by the referee’s poor decision.
The most controversial referee decision was perhaps seen in the England Germany Round of 16 game. Germany had humiliated England early in the game, going 2-0 up. The English however came back when Upson scored, taking the score line to 2-1. Moments later, Frank Lampard won the ball and unleashed a powerful strike. The ball hit the inside of the bar, and bounced almost two feet inside the goal line. It was clear even for the fans sitting at home. The referee however disallowed it, denying England to equalize before half time. The manager, coaching staff and players were all furious at this. England lost the hope and the will to win, and Germany thrashed a low morale England 4-1. Had that goal been allowed, England may still have a chance to play stronger and have a re take on their strategy to disrupt Germany. It was perhaps bad luck which looms over England’s Golden Generation, and is not the first time something of this sort has taken place. It was still disappointing that nothing could be done about it and claims from various authorities and even the UK Prime Minister has put FIFA under heavy fire to introduce video technology to make decisions fair.
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