10 Referee Mistakes Fans Still Can’t Believe!

Official judgments aren't uncommon in sports, especially in situations where one team even have a shot at goal. But before Wenger and Van Persie feel too cocky about their misfortune, they would want to consider the following 10 dubious decisions in sports history. This is 10 Most Controversial Referee Decisions In Sports. Now let's get going. Number 10. Diego Maradona's Hand of God, 1986 This would take George Washington's place on the Mount Rushmore of terrible football refereeing judgments, as well as maybe the other three. Simply put, no other officiating judgment has left such a lasting impression on fans of England. Following the Falklands War, which sparked a great deal of animosity between the two countries, especially on the South American side, Argentina sought vengeance in the 1986 World Cup quarter finals. A sliced clearance from Steve Hodges bounced up and inside the penalty box with the score at 0-0 only five minutes into the second half. With Peter Shilton running out to meet the ball, Maradona leaped into the air and guaranteed his close fish smashed Shilton's end of the ball, knocking it into the open net. The referee, Ali Bin Nasser, didn't seem to notice it. Truly appalling officiating. Maradona then demonstrated his undoubted quality by clinching the match with one of his best goals in World Cup history, a paradox that would in many ways sum up his career. But for some reason, it was the first goal that would remain etched in English minds for decades to come. Number 9. The USA's Olympic Basketball Golden Streak Has Ended, 1972 Matches between these two world giants have always had a keen political edge to them, boosting the drama of games like the 1980 Olympics' Miracle on Ice. But this game was dramatic on its own hockey merits. The United States having never lost an Olympic match were heavy favorites to win the 1972 basketball tournament final against the Soviet Union, who had not lost in the previous rounds either. They were down 49-48 with three seconds left, but it appeared like they'd be spared when Doug Collins intercepted a pass and drove to the rim, drawing a foul and earning two free throws. He knocked them both down, but only after a series of events that left almost everyone perplexed. After the first of Collins' two throws, the USSR claimed they had called a timeout to make alterations and plan a final, last-ditch play. But the inexperienced officials never allowed it. Instead, following Collins' successful second throw, the Russian players were compelled to inbound the ball because FIBA regulations did not allow timeouts at that stage in the game, and time expired, allowing the U.S. to celebrate their 64th consecutive Olympic victory and another gold medal. The Russians, on the other hand, were having none of it, remonstrating with officials over what they saw as a snub. After FIBA chief Renato William Jones intervened, it was agreed to replay the closing seconds, but only one second was put back on the clock instead of three, ensuring time expired before it should have and sent the United States into raptures once more. Jones, who was born in Italy, stepped in again, forcing a rematch. Ben Thatcher's horror tackle on Pedro Mendes It was a test that stayed with me for a long time. When Manchester City's Ben Thatcher attempted to knock Mendes off the ball in the second match of the 2006-2007 Premier League season, he failed miserably. Because he had no chance of getting there, Thatcher used physical force, slamming his elbow into the face of the Pompei midfielder. Mendes was knocked out, had a seizure on the sidelines, and was rushed away in an ambulance. Referee Dermot Gallagher gave Thatcher a yellow card. It was a contentious decision at the time. According to BBC Sport, Thatcher was later given an eight-game retrospective ban from the Football Association. Jeff Hirst's dubious goal With no larger platform in football than the World Cup, it's unfortunate but somewhat unsurprising that it would draw some of the game's most contentious decisions. While England was on the receiving end of Maradona's hand of God, they had undoubtedly benefited 20 years prior. Despite Argentina's setback en route to the final, in which captain Antonio Rattin was ejected for abusive language despite the referee not speaking Spanish, the host's best luck came against West Germany. Jeff Hirst's swivel and shot clattered off the underside of the bar, off the line and out of the game already in extra time. Replays are still ambiguous, but the goal was awarded by the Azerbaijani assistant linesman. Hirst would go on to score a hat-trick with the game's final kick, but who knows what would have happened if the judgment had gone against England. Tom Henning Ovrebo never forgotten at Stamford Bridge What comes to mind first when you recall Chelsea's Champions League semi-final match against Barcelona in May 2009? Tom Henning Ovrebo, the referee, turned down 4 penalty appeals? Do you recall DDA Drogba's visibly enraged outburst into the television cameras? What about the consequences from the game, which included death threats and hate mail for Ovrebo? This was certainly up there with the worst in terms of disputed refereeing performances. Galarraga's cruelly denied a perfect game in 2010 Many of the most divisive choices in sports history have benefited, or harmed, an entire team. But when they damage an individual and jeopardize his pursuit of a remarkable goal, it becomes even more tragic. Armando Galarraga, a pitcher then for the Detroit Tigers, was in this situation. Perfect games in baseball, in which a pitcher doesn't give up a hit or a walk and nobody reaches base the whole game, are extremely unusual, with only 18 being recorded in the modern era of the game. After recording the first two outs in the ninth, that's the final inning of a regular season game, Galarraga was just a few pitches away from throwing one of his own. The hope was then shattered when umpire Jim Joyce called the Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald safe on a ground ball, although television replays plainly showed he was easily out. Joyce was furious at sabotaging the Venezuelan's pursuit after swiftly realizing his error. Joyce said, I just cost that child a perfect game. I was under the impression that Donald had beaten the throw. Until I saw the replay, I was confident he beat the throw. Galarraga accepted it with grace, subsequently receiving a medal for reasonableness, remarking, Nobody is flawless. However, he never again came close to obtaining the holy grail of a pitcher's career. 4. Nigeria denied by blindsided referee Nigeria was denied glory once again due to a questionable ruling on whether the ball had crossed the line after hitting the crossbar. Victor Ekpiba's penalty kick in the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations final obviously went in, but referee Murad Dami didn't think so, and Cameroon won the Cup 4-3 as a result of his terrible judgment. 3. Cueto tries, but video referee says he failed, 2007 In several sports, but not football, the use of video referees has dramatically reduced the number of obvious and marginal mistakes that officials make incorrectly. But what if even the replays aren't quite conclusive? During the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, England winner Mark Cueto crossed the line while being hauled out of touch by South African defender Danny Rossau. Replays from a variety of perspectives failed to paint a clear picture of the action, and a communication failure between the French TV producers and Australian video referee Stuart Dickinson added to the three-minute wait in reaching a decision before the try was eventually disallowed. England went on to lose the final, despite being down 9-8 at the time, and would credit the decision as the game's turning point. Cueto disagreed with Dickinson's claim that he was 100% delighted with his decision. He subsequently stated, I will take to the grave the certainty that I should have been given a try in a World Cup final. 2. Bruna's blatant handball Referee Jean-Gigal let Equatorial Guinea defender Bruna Amarante da Silva get away with one of the most blatant handballs you'll ever see during the 2011 Women's World Cup. Bruna collected the ball as it rebounded off the post during the play against Australia and held onto it for a few steps before losing it and passing it to her goalie. Play was signalled to continue by the referee. As seen on the BBC Sport website, Australia went on to win the game 3-2, and Gal later apologised for missing the incident. 1. Russian skate on extra-thick ice, 2002 Skating is an underappreciated source of athletic controversy. Few who are familiar with the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan saga will need reminding. And it's also the only sport in which the Olympic Committee has awarded two gold medals. In 2002, the Russian pair of Yelena Bersnia and Anton Sikarulich competed against the Canadian pair of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier in figure skating pairs. Since 1964, Russia had won every gold medal in the event, and they were determined not to let that streak end in Salt Lake City. The judges, however, disagreed, claiming that the Russians' better presentation ratings — which were weighted more strongly than the technical ones at the time — allowed them to ride to victory notwithstanding widespread scepticism. Cheating was soon suggested, with the press mentioning several shady dealings involving Russian media. Later, a tearful French judge, Marie-Renée Lagoyne, broke down implying that she had been pressed by her domestic regulating organisation to give the Russian pair a favourable grade regardless of how the routines came out. Following an examination, the IOC determined that awarding both pairs of gold medals was the most expedient way to resolve the dispute. A historic decision has yet to be replicated. Nonetheless, the bitter taste lingers, as does Russia's illustrious track record in the tournament. With that, we would like to conclude, but we would love to know which of these decisions has actually caught your eye.