10 Most controversial football matches of the last decade

Most controversial games of the last decadeSports and controversy are two things that go hand in hand. And in an end to end game like football, controversies always seem to emerge and engage fans in endless debates, some which are etched in our memories forever.And those disputes evolve from several causes – some from poor sportsmanship, some from accusations, poor refereeing and more which ultimately decide the encounters leaving many with a sour taste.And in the last decade, we have experienced many such games that were overshadowed by all the above mentioned causes. As we come to the end of 2014, we take a look back at ten of the most controversial games that were played in the last decade.

#1 Manchester United 1-2 Real Madrid: Champions League 2013

In the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League season (Jose Mourinho’s last year as Blancos manager), Real Madrid were drawn against Manchester United as early as in the Round-of-16 stages after finishing second in their group behind Borussia Dortmund.

With two of Europe’s titanic clubs coming face to face and the return of United’s hero Cristiano Ronaldo at the Old Trafford, this was “The Anticipated Encounter” of the tournament.

But in the end, it was a controversial red card that changed the whole dimension of the game. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw as United headed back home with a crucial away goal. The pressure was on Mourinho’s men as they had to score in the return leg. But an own goal from Sergio Ramos made things further difficult and United took the lead at the Old Trafford.

The game was moving on in strong favour of the Red Devils up until the 56th minute when Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir's one decision turned it around for the Spanish outfit. After Nani’s unintentional aerial challenge on Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa, Cakir directly showed him a red card and an infuriated Sir Alex Ferguson’s team were down to ten men.

From that point on, it was Real who took the advantage of the numbers’ game and struck twice in three minutes, including a goal from former player Ronaldo, which saw them through to the next round while United had to settle for an early knockout and unfortunate, as many would say, to be on the receiving end of a controversial decision.

#2 FC Barcelona 3-1 AC Milan: Champions League 2012

After a 0-0 first leg draw at the San Siro, AC Milan gave themselves a realistic chance of going through to the semi-finals of the 2012 Champions League at the expense of tournament favourites Barcelona. But everyone including Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri knew that getting a result out of the Camp Nou would require strenuous efforts from his players.

But if the job wasn’t difficult enough, things were made almost impossible after some questionable decisions from the official that actually conflicted the rule books. After Lionel Messi gave Barca the lead through a deserved penalty, Milan equalised through Antonio Nocerino which put them in the driving seat to qualify on the basis of away goals rule.

But then came the controversial moment when Alessandro Nesta was shown a red card for bringing down Sergio Busquets in the 18-yard-area during the corner delivery and the Catalans were awarded a penalty. What baffled most pundits was the fact that even though the red card was justified, the penalty was given for a foul that was committed while the ball wasn’t in play.

Later on Zlatan Ibrahimovic went on to bash the La Liga giants as he claimed that Barca won with a helping hand from the referee. Coach Pep Guardiola avoided a spark as he concentrated on his team’s achievement of reaching fifth straight semi-finals in the competition.

#3 Italy 1-0 Australia: 2006 World Cup

In the Round-of-16 of the 2006 World Cup, Italy came up against competition minnows Australia and were definitely the favourites to progress to the quarter finals. But life wasn’t easy for the Azzurri as they were found it difficult to breach the Aussies and it remained stalemate until half-time.

Things became more difficult in the second half after Marco Materazzi was sent off in the 50th minute for a challenge on Australia's Marco Bresciano thus reducing Italy to ten men for the rest of the game. The decision was regarded as excessive by some. But that wasn’t the contentious moment that made this match infamous.

When it looked like the match was heading into extra time, the official awarded Italy a penalty in stoppage time after Fabian Grosso dived inside Australia's penalty area to earn a spotkick for the team. Francesco Totti scored and Italy marched forward amidst of a debatable call.

Later, Grosso admitted that he made the most of the situation and had exaggerated the foul.

#4 Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal: 2004 Premier League

As two of the best Premier League sides during the early 2000's, there was always an immense pressure on both Manchester United and Arsenal whenever they played each other. Arsene Wenger's team were on a record unbeaten streak of 49 games and on October 24, 2004, United were in the way to extending it to 50.

With striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy's penalty miss and the rough treatment from Arsenal players in the 2003 encounter still fresh in everyone's minds, the high profile clash was played between two footballing rivals amongst some contentious calls from the officials.

Nistelrooy got his revenge from the spot kick which was a questionable decision from the referee. Wayne Rooney was tackled by defender Sol Campbell, but replays showed that Campbell had withdrawn from the challenge. A series of improper decisions, claims and counter-claims of sportsmanship and diving were what people were talking about after the game.

United won 2-0 in the end and the match came to be known as the Battle of the Buffet.

#5 Juventus 3-2 AS Roma: 2014 Italian Serie A

One of the most recent encounters in this list, Juventus and Roma's encounter turned out to be a dramatic game that involved several shocking decisions. Referee Gianluca Rocchi, who has a reputation for making controversial calls, once again grabbed the headlines in Juve’s 3-2 win against Roma.

Rocchi awarded a total of three penalties in the match and sent two players off before Leonardo Bonucci's stunning strike sealed off a victory in a clash that was vital in terms of securing top place in the Serie A.

The first penalty came after Andrea Pirlo's freekick struck Maicon's arm outside the box but after awarding another freekick, the referee changed his mind and gave a penalty which was dispatched by Carlos Tevez. Roma got back in the game via a penalty from Francesco Totti after he was brought down by Lichsteiner in the box.

Roma went ahead through Iturbe but Rocchi again made a dubious call, giving the Bianconeri another penalty for a foul on Paul Pogba that was outside the box. Juve levelled before half-time and an unlikely strike from Bonucci confirmed victory for Allegri's men.

Defender Kostas Manolas and Juve striker Alvaro Morata were given their marching orders for clashing their heads which was the conclusion to a game eclipsed by controversy.

#6 Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United: 2012 Premier League

In the 2012/13 season of the Premier League, Chelsea and Manchester United battled out in a closely fought encounter which was an essential fixture in regards to the top of the table.

United got off to a great start as they went up 2-0 early on thanks to a David Luiz own goal and some clinical finishing from Robin Van Persie. But Chelsea recovered and scored two on either intervals to level the scoreline, setting up a pulsating game for the neutrals.

But in the space of five minutes, the complexion of the fixture changed as Chelsea were reduced to nine men after Ivanovic and Fernando Torres were sent off by referee Mark Clattenburg. Few from the Chelsea stands debated about the Ivanovic challenge on Ashley Young but their anger for the Torres sending off was undisguised.

Torres was penalized for divingbut it seemed that United defender Johny Evans had actually tackled him. The deficiency in numbers came back to haunt the Blues as they were hurt by Javier Hernandez who scored the winner to win the encounter 3-2. Later, manager Roberto Di Matteo claimed that the referee had got it all wrong.

#7 Portugal 1-0 Netherlands: 2006 World Cup

With the amount of bitterness that marred this game, it is difficult and unfitting to define it as a match. Perhaps that is why this encounter has been aptly dubbed as the Battle of Nuremburg.

Portugal and Netherlands played out one of the most disgraceful games in World Cup history which saw a record number of red and yellow cards. The round-of-16 clash was overpowered by brutal tackles and senseless fouls.

What made even lesser sense was the fact that the referee's decisions, although consistent, lacked substance as he had lost the power to determine the difference between a red card and a yellow card offence.

Players were exposed to physical confrontations throughout the game and referee Valentin Ivanov issued 4 red cards and 16 yellow cards on the night and the game ended 1-0 in favour of the Portuguese. President Sepp Blatter even stated that the referee himself could have been yellow carded.

#8 Real Madrid 3-4 FC Barcelona: 2014 La Liga

An El Clasico is never short of controversies and referees, whether they want to or not, always take the centre stage in this fixture. The 2014 La Liga fixture between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu was expected to be all about the footballing qualities of both sides given the amount of superstars that both side possessed.

But referee Undiano Mallenco managed to overshadow the battle between Messi – Ronaldo or Bale – Neymar.

The game saw two controversial penalties given and a red card decision against Sergio Ramos that was a bit too harsh. After Barcelona took the lead, Karim Benzema struck twice in four minutes to put Blancos in the lead. Messi restored parity but then Cristiano Ronaldo scored from a questionable spotkick after he was taken down by Dani Alves outside the box.

Another questionable call arrived moments later as Sergio Ramos was sent off for his tackle on Neymar. Messi scored two penalties to bag a hat-trick as Barca came out 4-3 winners in a game that was surrounded by disputes among fans.

#9 Italy 1-1 France: 2006 World Cup

The 2006 World Cup tournament is known for the several controversies that emerged out of the competition. But the most significant one was reserved for the final game that was played between Italy and France.

France, led by Zinedine Zidane, took the lead early in the 7th minute after the former Madrid midfielder scored from a disputable penalty. Marco Materazzi turned out to be the culprit again as it was his tackle on Florent Malouda (replay showed that he barely touched the Frenchman) that gave Les Blues the breakthrough. But Materazzi wasn’t done there as he was en route to becoming a part of one of the most controversial finales in World Cup history.

After Italy equalised in the 19th minute, both the sides were unable to find an opening and the game headed on to extra time. The controversial penalty decision was overshadowed by the infamous headbutt of Zidane on Materazzi that saw a disappointing ending to the Frenchman’s glorious career. Zidane claimed that Materazzi provoked him into doing it as he abused his (Zidane’s) mother.

Italy went on to win the shoot out and ultimately claimed their fourth World Cup trophy. And Zidane hanged his boots on a sour note.

#10 Chelsea 1-1 FC Barcelona: 2009 Champions League

Perhaps, this can be labelled as the most bizarre night in Champions League history and one of the most controversial games of all time. Chelsea were within inches of earning a spot at the Champions League final in 2009 when Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta shattered their hopes in stoppage time and enraged the Bridge further who were already suffering from disbelief due to some ridiculous refereeing from Tom Henning Ovrebo.

The match saw four clear penalty decisions denied to Chelsea who under Guus Hiddink, were on course to reach their second consecutive final. Michael Essien’s wonder strike gave them the lead and Barcelona were reduced to ten men. There were four legitimate penalty claims against Barca, but none of them were given by Norwegian official Ovrebo.

When it looked like the Blues were heading home to a victory, Iniesta spoiled the party and scored a last-gasp equaliser to deprive Chelsea a place in the Champions League final on the basis of away goal rule.

Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack could not hold their disgust back as they confronted the referee after the match. Drogba was suspended for five games while Ovrebo later admitted that his mistakes led to Chelsea’s loss. To this day, the Norwegian still receives death threats from the Blues faithful.