10 Ridiculous Refereeing Decisions That Almost Ruined Football

4. Handball Howlers

http://youtu.be/siJQZs2Sbho If there is one rule which can be considered the very basis of modern football, it is that in no instance is it acceptable to use your hands to control the ball. That should be self-explanatory from the word "football". Therefore, if a ball strikes the hand of a player and there was an intent to employ that handling for an advantage, then any referee should flag for a foul. Nevertheless, the upcoming examples demonstrate that some of these gentlemen missed their calling as world-class beach volleyball umpires. The first of these two examples comes from the World Cup qualifiers in 2009, when France and Ireland were competing for the chance to appear at South Africa a year later. For Ireland, it would be their return to the World Cup after missing 2006, and France were desperate to avoid the embarrassment of missing the competition after being finalists the previous tournament. Thierry Henry appeared to be a tad more desperate than the rest though. In extra time during the second leg with the aggregate score at 1-1, Henry kept a deep France free kick from going out of play by handling it back onto the pitch, setting up William Gallas to score the winner for France. This cost the Irish a chance to appear at the World Cup, millions in revenue, and that Thierry Henry was now on a par with Oliver Cromwell in terms of Irish popularity. Nonetheless, the lacking eyesight of referee Martin Hansson and his assistants could not overtake one of the most famous miscarriages of justice in World footballing history. During a World Cup quarter-final in 1986, the world's greatest footballer, Diego Maradona, showed his remarkable ability stretched to bounds never before seen, as he appeared to grow a foot taller to reach a bouncing ball ahead of goalkeeper Peter Shilton and score against England and send Argentina through to the next round. But, Maradona didn't actually grow any taller, but in his own words God intervened and punched the ball into the net, and the referee Ali Bin Nasser didn't witness this miracle and refused to penalise either Maradona or God for their actions. To this day the phrase "Hand of God" is synonymous with the burgeoning England/Argentina rivalry, and despite all of Maradona's remarkable skills, this is arguably the most memorable goal of his entire career. http://youtu.be/-eZhBCqh8l8