Soccer is the world’s game, which means that there are fans, players and followers in almost every nation on earth. Many of those fans are fanatical supporters of their teams, and every setback or disappointment their team experiences will be felt deeply.
When you have so much attention and so much passion, it is inevitable that there will be controversial moments, and soccer has provided more than a few. Many of the fans who are looking forward to the World Cup or looking for the best betting site for 2022 World Cup will be able to name at least one controversial game in which their team or nation was embroiled. Here are some of the most famous:
France 1-1 Ireland, 2009
France struggled through their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup and ended up in a play-off against Ireland. A 1-0 win in the first leg in Dublin gave France the advantage but Robbie Keane scored for Ireland in the return game after 33 minutes, and the tie went to extra time.
Enter Thierry Henry. The ball was played deep into Ireland’s penalty area and Henry controlled the ball with his hand before passing it to William Gallas, who applied the finishing touch to give France the aggregate lead. The Irish players were incensed and there were ongoing complaints from the FAI for several days, but the result stood. A form of justice was served when the French team fell apart in dramatic fashion in the 2010 World Cup, going out of the tournament in the first round.
Sheffield United 0-3 West Bromwich Albion, 2002
The English Championship is one of the most fiercely contested leagues in Europe, as 24 teams battle for a lucrative place in the Premier League.
In the 2001-02 season, promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion travelled north to Yorkshire to take on Sheffield United, who were on their way to a mid-table finish. There was no history of rivalry between the two clubs, but there was between United’s George Santos and Albion’s Andy Johnson, as Santos blamed Johnson for a fractured eye socket he sustained in a challenge against Johnson, who was playing for Nottingham Forest at the time, the year before.
United had their goalkeeper sent off in the first half for handling the ball outside the area, and Albion dominated thereafter, leading 2-0 just after the hour mark. At that point, United manager Neil Warnock sent on George Santos and Patrick Suffo. Within seconds, Santos clattered into Johnson with a dangerous tackle, earning an immediate red card. In the ensuing melee, Suffo was also sent off for a head-butt on Derek McInnes, collecting his team’s third red card.
The game deteriorated amid more reckless United challenges. Albion added a third and two United players went off injured. At that point, the referee had no choice but to end the game, as United only had six players on the pitch. In the ensuing post-mortem, there were suggestions that Warnock had tried to get the game called off deliberately, but Albion were eventually awarded the game.
Portugal 1-0 Netherlands, 2006
Portugal and the Netherlands have produced some of the world’s greatest players and given us many special soccer moments to enjoy over the years. Unfortunately, they have also produced one of the most extraordinary and violent World Cup games.
The occasion was a Round of 16 game at the 2006 World Cup, in Nuremburg. There was no history of animosity between the two soccer nations, but a booking for Mark van Bommel in the second minute set the tone. Cristiano Ronaldo was the victim of a poor tackle, causing an injury that eventually saw him substituted in tears. Maniche and Costinha for Portugal also picked up bookings and the latter player was sent off when he earned a second yellow card just before half-time.
Hopes that the two sets of players might have cooled off during the break were quickly dashed. There were three more bookings before the hour mark, including a yellow card for a head butt by Luis Figo, and Khalid Boulahrouz was sent off for his second offense.
The second Boulahrouz foul, on Figo, provoked a brawl on the side of the pitch and the game continued to deteriorate. Deco and Giovanni van Bronckhorst were also sent off and by the time the final whistle was blown, referee Valentin Ivanov had issued four red cards and 16 yellow.
Amid all the violence, soccer seemed to have been forgotten, but Maniche’s early goal was enough to take Portugal through, and despite missing several players through suspensions, they managed to reach the semi-finals, where they lost 1-0 to France.
