10 Terrible Refereeing Decisions That Changed World Cup Games

The group stage game of the 2014 World Cup between Uruguay and Italy will live long in the memory of all who saw it. The game was riddled with bad decisions, starting with a red card for Italian midfielder Claudio Marchisio early in the second half. Marchisio was given a straight red for a foul that was certainly unfair but definitely not the worst challenge of the day. Around 20 minutes later, the game would take a truly shocking turn.

Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez scuffled with Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. Suarez was then shown biting down on Chiellini's shoulder, before rolling around on the floor and holding his teeth in pain. The ref didn't issue any cards as he didn't have a good look at the incident, but Suarez, who had already bitten two opponents in his career before that game, was later handed a major ban.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean too much to the Italians at the time. Just after the bite, Uruguay won a corner and scored the game's winning goal, sending Italy out of the tournament. Had the referee seen the incident and awarded a free kick and red card, it's easy to see how the game may have ended differently.