5 instances of bad refereeing influencing the outcome of a game

While there’s been plenty of debate about the merits of VAR – video assistant referees – recently, the bottom line remains the same: a bad call from a referee can change the outcome of a football match entirely.

Over the years there have been plenty of bad calls from referees – some when the very highest of stakes were on the line – and if they’d made a different decision, then who knows what could’ve happened? Here are five instances where bad refereeing calls clearly affected the outcome of a big game.

#1 England vs. Germany, World Cup 2010

England’s ageing ‘Golden Generation’ found themselves in trouble early in their 2010 World Cup second round tie with their old rivals Germany, as the younger, more fleet-footed German side had cut through their defence twice, going into a two-goal lead thanks to Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski.

Refusing to give in, though, Fabio Capello’s men bounced back when Matthew Upson headed a Steven Gerrard cross home eight minutes before half-time. Suddenly the tide appeared to have turned, and with England in the ascendancy, Frank Lampard fired a shot from the edge of the box that looped over German keeper Manuel Neuer and into the net – before bouncing back into Neuer’s hands.

Somehow though, the referee made the call that the ball had not crossed the line – despite video replays confirming that it had landed way over the line before bouncing back. The decision deflated England, who went on to a second-half collapse, eventually losing 4-1. But would that have been the case had Lampard’s goal been allowed?

Perhaps not – England would’ve gone into the second half with their tails up, while Germany would’ve been deflated having gone from 2-0 up to being pegged back to 2-2. England would never have had to attack so heavily – leaving themselves open for counters – and who knows what could’ve happened?

#2 Chelsea vs. Barcelona, UEFA Champions League, 2008/09

It was a result that prompted Didier Drogba to go on a notorious rant at a nearby camera, yelling that referee Tom Henning Ovrebo’s performance was a “f*cking disgrace”. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Nou Camp, the Champions League semi-final tie between Chelsea and Barcelona was on a knife-edge going into the return leg at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea largely bossed the game, taking the lead through Michael Essien, but they should’ve had their lead extended. Ovrebo ignored clear penalty claims when both Drogba and Florent Malouda went down under rough challenges in the box, and also denied the Blues when Gerard Pique’s clear handball went unseen.

A late equaliser from Andres Iniesta suddenly put Barca ahead on away goals, before Ovrebo denied Chelsea a fourth stone wall penalty – this time somehow missing a clear handball from Barca’s Samuel Eto’o. Barcelona ended up advancing and everyone – even fans who didn’t like Chelsea – could see that the bizarre decisions of the referee were to blame.

#3 England vs. Argentina, World Cup 1986 and 1998

Poor refereeing decisions cost England twice in the World Cup against their heated rivals Argentina, with the Three Lions being knocked out unjustly on both occasions. Firstly came the infamous ‘Hand of God’ incident in the quarter-finals in 1986 – Diego Maradona clearly handled the ball into the net for his first goal, but the referee didn’t spot it and allowed the goal to stand.

If he had spotted it then Maradona surely would’ve been shown a red card and never would’ve scored his legendary second goal – and England likely would’ve won the match and gone on to the semi-finals. Eight years later, they were looking for payback, but again ended up on the plane home largely thanks to a bad refereeing call.

This time it was an England goal that was disallowed – with the game deadlocked at 2-2 and heading into extra-time, Sol Campbell headed a corner home, only for the referee to deny the goal as he felt wrong that Alan Shearer had impeded Argentine goalkeeper Carlos Roa.

It was a painfully unfair decision that still stings with England fans two decades on – and even a win over Argentina in the 2002 tournament couldn’t erase the feeling of injustice that these two refereeing decisions caused.

#4 Spain vs. South Korea, World Cup 2002

The refereeing performance in the 2002 World Cup quarter-final between Spain and hosts South Korea was so bad that immediately after the game, cries of “fix” were heard from fans all around the world. South Korea won the tie after a penalty shoot-out, but there’s simply no way that the game should’ve gotten to that stage, to begin with.

Goals from Ivan Helguera – in normal time – and then Fernando Morientes in ‘Golden Goal’ extra time were both incorrectly chalked off by the referee, with the Morientes decision being the most bizarre. Helguera’s was disallowed due to apparent shirt-pulling in the box – debatable at best – but Morientes’s effort was denied as the referee claimed the ball had gone out of play before Joaquin’s cross.

It hadn’t, of course, but without the use of video replays, the referee’s errant call stood. Spain failed to get the crucial goal – and if they had, perhaps the referee would’ve simply disallowed it anyway! In the end, they would have to wait another eight years for a World Cup triumph, and the result remains one of the all-time controversial ones in World Cup history.

#5 England vs. Portugal, Euro 2004

Six years on from the referee disallowing a Sol Campbell winner in a major tournament, England were once again stung by bad officiating striking off a perfectly legal goal from the Arsenal defender. This time it was in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004, with the Three Lions deadlocked at 1-1 with host country Portugal.

The game was looking likely to head into extra-time when a last-minute free-kick from captain David Beckham was headed against the bar by Michael Owen. A goalmouth scramble ensued and Campbell headed the ball home, only for the referee to disallow the goal, claiming John Terry had impeded Portugal keeper Ricardo. If anything, Terry had impeded Campbell more!

The game went into extra-time; both sides scored again to make it 2-2, and in the ensuing penalty shoot-out, Portugal came out on top following misses by Beckham and Darius Vassell. But as with the Argentina game, it should never have gone that far – and Campbell should’ve been hailed as a conquering hero rather than someone who was twice cheated by bad officiating.