10 Ridiculous Refereeing Decisions That Almost Ruined Football

7. Charles Corver (West Germany vs. France, 1982)

http://youtu.be/1UnMBH3EGWM There have been plenty of fouls that have been given where very little contact has been made, and diving is now a regular and disgusting part of the modern game. However, in this match between West Germany and France, the referee decides to take the complete opposite approach, which makes me wonder how much I would have to do to a player for him to blow his whistle. An important fixture, the semi-final of the 1982 World Cup no less, saw one of the best French teams in their history battle against perennial favourites West Germany, and an exciting match with multiple chances and free-flowing action would finish 3-3 after 120 minutes of play. However, despite the number of goals and chances this game provided, only one moment stands out in the minds when the match is recalled. Patrick Battiston, a French defender, found himself one-on-one with German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher, chasing a bouncing ball. While the opportunity looked 50-50, Schumacher decided to tip the odds in his favour by jumping like a prize-winning horse into the face of Battiston, in the closest example the footballing world has come to witnessing a live beheading. Whilst Schumacher testifies to going only for the ball, and Battiston believed him (must have been a serious blow to the head), it was still a nasty incident, so the referee Charles Corver did want any of us would do in this situation. He gave the Germans a goal kick. Regardless of whether Schumacher was going for the ball or not, the recklessness and graveness of the challenge and its aftermath should have warranted a sending-off, a foul, and possibly a FIFA investigation. Instead, nothing would come from the moment, and West Germany would advance to the final due to a Schumacher penalty save. While I do not condone the decision of this referee, I still wish he'd been around to officiate a match involving Joey Barton.