Хөлбөмбөгийн ертөнцийн хамгийн том баяр болох Дэлхийн аварга шалгаруулах тэмцээний түүхэн дэх маргаантай болон дуулиант мөчүүд нь тоглолтын үр дүнгээс дутахааргүй анхаарал татсаар ирсэн.
Саяхан Ф.Балогуны нэг тоглолтын торгуулийг цуцалж, АНУ-ын шигшээд Бельгийн эсрэг тоглох боломж олгосон нь ихээхэн шүүмжлэл дагуулаад байна. Энэхүү шийдвэр нь 1962 оны ДАШТ-ийн хагас шигшээд улаан хуудас авсан Гарринчагийн торгуулийг цуцалж байсан тохиолдлыг санагдуулж байгаа юм. Түүнчлэн АНУ-ын Ерөнхийлөгч Д.Трамп ФИФА-гийн ерөнхийлөгч Ж.Инфантино руу утасдаж, шүүгчийн шийдвэрийг дахин хянуулахыг хүссэн нь нөхцөл байдлыг улам хурцатгав.
Түүх сөхвөл 1986 онд Д.Марадонагийн “Бурхны мутар” гоол, 1994 онд допингийн шинжилгээнд бүдэрсэн явдал, мөн 1962 оны “Сантьягогийн тулаан” гэгдэх хамгийн бүдүүлэг тоглолт нь хөлбөмбөгийн түүхэнд хар толбо болон үлджээ. 1982 онд Баруун Герман болон Австрийн хоорондох “Хихоны ичгүүрт тоглолт” нь хэсгийн сүүлийн тоглолтуудыг нэгэн зэрэг явуулах дүрмийг батлахад хүргэсэн юм. Мөн 1998 оны шигшээ тоглолтын өмнө Роналдогийн бие муудсан явдал болон 2014 онд Л.Суарез өрсөлдөгчөө хазсан зэрэг нь хөгжөөн дэмжигчдийн ой тойнд хамгийн тод үлджээ.
Түүнчлэн 1982 оны хагас шигшээд Францын тоглогч П.Баттистоныг гэмтээсэн Х.Шумахерын бүдүүлэг үйлдэл болон 1938 онд Б.Муссолинигийн шахалтаар Италийн шигшээ фашист дэглэмийн өнгө төрхийг илтгэх хар өмсгөлтэй тоглосон нь улс төрийн нөлөө хэрхэн хөлбөмбөгт нэвтэрсний тод жишээ юм. Колумбын шигшээ 1994 оны тэмцээний үеэр хар тамхины бүлэглэлүүдийн дарамтад өртөж, улмаар А.Эскобар амиа алдсан эмгэнэлт явдал нь энэхүү спортын түүхэн дэх хамгийн харамсалтай үйл явдлуудын нэг болсон билээ.
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The World Cup is the greatest celebration of the beautiful game, but with nations competing for the ultimate glory, tension and controversy are inescapable consequences.
Earlier this week, there was significant uproar over the decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban, with the striker able to appear for the United States men’s national team against Belgium.
From the first World Cup up until now, there have been plenty of other scandals that have provided a dramatic side narrative to the magic on the pitch. From incidents involving Benito Mussolini to the most recent one featuring Donald Trump, these moments of infamy often linger longer in memory than the last-minute goals and last-ditch tackles that draw billions to their television screens to take in the action from around the world.
The Athletic asked its writers to rank the most scandalous moments in World Cup history. After pooling and averaging out their responses, here is our top 10.
10) Diego Maradona’s drug ban
Maradona and scandal go together like macaroni and cheese, and in the twilight years of his career, he could barely stay off the front pages.
By 1994, Maradona was 33, and his battles with cocaine addiction were public knowledge. Maradona was first banned for cocaine use in 1991, when he tested positive for the substance following an Italian Serie A match between Napoli and Bari. FIFA banned the Napoli icon for 15 months, during which he spent his time in Buenos Aires and later joined Sevilla to prove his fitness ahead of the 1994 tournament.
He arrived in the United States in 1994 in decent form and good fitness. He started the tournament in style, helping Argentina to a 2-1 win against Nigeria and a 4-0 win over Greece, where he scored an amazing goal, which is now infamous for his celebration. After scoring, Maradona sprinted towards a sideline camera and shouted wildly with bulging eyes.
He would later fail a routine doping test, with the sample showing traces of multiple banned substances. He insisted he had not deliberately doped, but he was banned again for 15 months and never played for Argentina, who were eliminated in the last 16.
Diego Maradona at the 1994 World Cup (Daniel Garcia/AFP via Getty Images)
9) Ronaldo and the team-sheet mystery
Ronaldo was the best player in the world in 1998, scoring four goals on his way to firing Brazil to a World Cup final against hosts France. So when he was initially left off Mario Zagallo’s starting line-up for the final, before being reinstated, suspicions began to emerge that something had happened in the lead-up to the game.
He was not himself in the final as France won 3-0. Later, it emerged that Ronaldo had suffered a convulsive seizure in his hotel room, leaving him unconscious in the hours leading up to the game. Several conspiracy theories began to emerge about why he was reinstated, leading to a parliamentary inquiry into a particular conspiracy theory that, as the face of Nike, the American sportswear company, had forced him to play. The inquiry later found no evidence that Nike had any involvement in Zagallo’s team selection, and Ronaldo also said: “The only thing Nike has asked of me is that I wear their boots.”
But he would arrive healthy four years later, starring as Brazil won the 2002 tournament.
8) Battle of Santiago
Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for Mexico before his England side beat the co-hosts at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday evening, celebrating the reception they received from the people in Mexico City. While nobody disputes his sincerity, historical precedent suggests that the “buttering up” method is the most sensible strategy.
In 1962, Italian journalists adopted a markedly contrasting attitude towards the hosts, Chile, who were set to face off against Italy in the group phase. Two journalists described the Chilean capital, Santiago, in insensitive and malicious terms. Tensions between the nations were naturally inflamed heading into the game, which became infamous for being the dirtiest match in World Cup history.
A fight between players broke out after just seconds and continued throughout. One player, Giorgio Ferrini, was sent off by English referee Ken Aston after repeated fouls but only left the pitch once police escorted him off. BBC commentator David Coleman described it as “the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game”.
Aston later invented yellow and red cards (inspired by traffic lights), suggesting the events of this match inspired the innovation.
7) Disgrace of Gijon
Nowadays, the final games of each World Cup group are played at the same time. But they were not when West Germany met Austria at El Molonin.
The two nations faced each other in the final Group 2 game at the 1982 World Cup, knowing that a particular set of scorelines suited them both, owing to results elsewhere. Algeria played their final group game against Chile the day before, knowing a four-goal margin of victory would be enough to guarantee progression into the knockout stage. They could only manage a 3-2 win.
This result meant that West Germany and Austria could both secure progression if West Germany (the favourites, who had been shockingly beaten 2-1 by Algeria in their opening group game) won by either one or two goals. Germany took the lead after 10 minutes, and both sides then passed the ball casually, without making a serious attempt to score. One West German commentator refused to continue calling the game, while an Austrian counterpart asked viewers to turn off their television sets.
From 1986 onwards, both games in each group have been scheduled at the same time to prevent something like this happening again — though the recent change to a 48-team format and third-placed qualifiers has increased the likelihood of a repeat scandal.
6) Luis Suarez’s bite
In 2014, Luis Suarez was considered one of the best players in the world, with a history of despicable behaviour on the pitch.
In 2011, the Uruguayan was handed an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during a 1-1 draw at Anfield while playing for Liverpool. Two years later, he apologised for his “inexcusable behaviour” after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic on his arm. It was not his first biting offence; he had served a seven-match suspension while playing for Dutch side Ajax after biting an opposition player out of frustration in a derby match against PSV.
And at the height of his fame following an excellent club season for Liverpool, he did it again, biting Giorgio Chiellini in the group stages of the 2014 World Cup. After Suarez bit the Italian on his shoulder in the 79th minute of a must-win game, Chiellini protested to the referee, but he remained on the pitch as the officials did not see it. Two minutes later, Uruguay won the match with a header from Diego Godin, eliminating Italy from the tournament. Suarez was banned from all football-related activity for four months after the incident, missing the first part of the season with Barcelona, for whom he had signed that summer.
Luis Suarez holds his teeth after the Giorgio Chiellini incident (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
5) Tragedy of Seville
In this increasingly anti-VAR world, one defence of video technology is that we will never again see an incident like this go unpunished during the match.
With the scores at 1-1 in the semi-final of the 1982 World Cup between France and West Germany, France captain Michel Platini played substitute Patrick Battiston in behind the West German defence. With no covering defender, goalkeeper Harald Schumacher came flying out of his goal and cleaned Battiston out, knocking the forward unconscious for 30 minutes. Battiston suffered three cracked ribs, a damaged vertebra, lost two teeth and required oxygen on the pitch before being taken off on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital as he drifted in and out of a coma. Shockingly, Dutch referee Charles Corver awarded West Germany a goal kick, with Schumacher keen to restart the action while Battiston’s team-mates stood traumatised.
Afterwards, Schumacher reportedly made light of the situation, saying Battiston had only lost two teeth and he would “pay for the crowns”.
West Germany went on to win the match on penalties before losing in the final to Italy, while Battiston took six months to recover.
4) Trump’s red-card intervention
Just as the USMNT was beginning to build goodwill through a hard-working, spirited team and a charismatic coach, forces beyond their control shifted the global outlook.
Folarin Balogun’s red card was controversial. There was no doubt that he endangered Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic by dragging his foot down his opponent’s Achilles tendon, but there appeared to be little intention. After initially waving play on, referee Raphael Claus was prompted by the video assistant referee (VAR) to review the replay on the monitor and hand Balogun his marching orders.
What played out afterwards sparked outrage around the world. On Sunday, The Athletic reported that FIFA had suspended Balogun’s one-match ban for a year, allowing the 25-year-old to play the USMNT’s last 16 fixture against Belgium. The only comparable situation during the World Cup happened in 1962, when Brazil’s star forward Garrincha had his ban overturned by FIFA after earning a red card in the semi-final, allowing him to play as they beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final.
It later transpired that U.S. President Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to “ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul” in the days following the incident, and described the Brazilian referee Claus as “very suspect”. Infantino maintained he did not influence the decision-making process, with FIFA’s judicial bodies acting “independently”.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, described it as “incomprehensible” and “unjustifiable.” Norway head coach Stale Solbakken said it was a “bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision”.
Through it all, Balogun remained a sympathetic figure. There appeared to be no intention with his challenge on Muharemovic, and he had no say in the decision to suspend his one-match ban. His inclusion would have little effect, as Belgium thrashed the USMNT 4-1 in the last 16.
3) Colombian drug-cartel influence
Colombia were the form team in South America heading into the 1994 World Cup, and expectations were growing.
They sealed qualification for the tournament with a 5-0 win over Argentina at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, but celebrations back home were marred by the horrific news that 20 people died and hundreds were injured in brawls, car crashes and shootings across the nation. Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel were collapsing, but other gangs rose to continue the bloody narco wars, meaning Colombia went into the 1994 World Cup in the midst of a bloody crisis.
The in-form national team provided hope for a country in turmoil. But a poor start, a 3-1 defeat by Gheorghe Hagi’s Romania, set in motion a chain of events that has left a stain on a proud footballing nation. Reports suggest drug cartels sent death threats to head coach Francisco Maturana, attempting to influence his team selections. There were also death threats sent to players, including midfielder Gabriel Jaime Gomez, who Maturana dropped after cartel pressure.
Colombia went out in disappointment, beaten 2-1 by the USA in their second match, during which defender Andres Escobar scored an own goal. After returning to the Colombian city of Medellin five days after their elimination, Escobar was murdered on his way back from a nightclub. What followed the tournament was much more harrowing than a simple “scandal”, but the drug cartel’s influence on the Colombia national team during the competition is rightly remembered as among the greatest disgraces in World Cup history.
2) Mussolini’s black shirts in 1938
Italy’s 1934 World Cup win on home soil was held up by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini as a victory for fascism, and he went one step further four years later as the European nation collected their second gold star.
Faced with a colour clash against France in the 1938 World Cup quarter-finals, Italy, pressured by their fascist dictator, opted to wear an all-black kit instead of their typical white change strip, with black associated with the fascist paramilitary Blackshirt group, who were loyal to Mussolini.
Just months after the Anschluss (the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany), Italy’s players wearing black and holding the Nazi salute during the national anthem were booed by French spectators in the stadium, and were heavily criticised by international media. Italy won the match 3-1 before defending their trophy with a 4-2 win over Hungary in the final.
Italy in their black shirts (AFP via Getty Images)
1) The Hand of God
Three words that need no introduction. Maradona leaping and punching the ball over England’s Peter Shilton in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup is perhaps the most famous and infamous moment in any sport, ever.
The build-up to the game was unlike any other in World Cup history. It was not just a meeting between two great footballing teams at the Azteca Stadium, one of the world’s most famous and celebrated football venues, but also between two nations that were recently at war.
Four years earlier, Argentina had unsuccessfully invaded the British-held Falkland Islands, an archipelago 300 miles east of the Argentine coast in the South Atlantic Ocean and 8,000 miles from England. This ignited a 74-day war between the Argentine and British military. In total, 907 people were killed in the conflict, and strong tensions between the two nations continued in the years after the war, with the Argentine military government banning English-language music on radio stations.
When Maradona deceived Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser by punching the ball into the net, it sparked a stir that went beyond sporting controversy. British newspaper The Mirror’s headline was “Cheat”, while the Daily Express splashed “Genius — and a Cheat!” over its back pages.
Maradona coined the “Hand of God” name in his post-match press conference, and later described the goal as “symbolic revenge” for the Falklands War. But it is best remembered as a symbol of Maradona as a character: cunning, tricky, and, frankly, genius.
Fittingly, he sealed Argentina’s 2-1 win with the “Goal of the Century”, where he dribbled past four England players before taking the ball past Shilton and finishing into an empty net. Gary Lineker, who played in attack for England that day, later admitted that the majesty of the effort made him want to applaud on the pitch. Argentina went on to win their second World Cup title, inspired by their superstar.
