
A cup of hope, a cup of dreams, but what many fail to call it is the cup of “controversy.” The football competition titled “FIFA World Cup” – which sees countries from around the globe compete for football’s most prestigious Jules Rimet trophy – has surely left the world with a lot of memories. Memories of ecstasy, memories of despair, and even a few memories that leave the faithful totally numb and emotionless. Such is the passion the FIFA World Cup possesses.
The stakes are always high when it comes to the FIFA World Cup and getting over the line comes at a cost. Controversy, gamesmanship, and borderline cheating are all employed by teams to get the literal and proverbial goal.
The 2022 edition of the tournament draws its curtain in a few days and controversy has been no stranger this time around, with the hallmark being the record-breaking 17 yellow cards dished out by Spanish Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz in the quarter-final clash between Argentina and the Netherlands, an act which eventually resulted in FIFA’s refereeing committee bringing the Spaniard’s time at the Mundial to an early close.
Even more curious moments have occurred since the World Cup kicked off last month; here are our 5 most controversial occasions we still struggle to believe ever happened:
1. Awarding hosting rights to Qatar
Let’s start at the beginning, with one of the most topical issues in modern-day football. “Awarding the World Cup hosting right to Qatar,” was a decision that raised eyebrows and had stakeholders waxing lyrical, so much so that it is believed to be the most scrutinized in the competition’s history.
While the World Cup editions played under fascist governments (Italy 1934), murderous regimes (Argentina 1978), governments under crisis (Espana 1982), and warmongers (Russia 2018) were extremely unpopular among many, no tournament had received so much scepticism as Qatar 2022. Qatar’s human rights record and ethical morality were brought under the spotlight, with scrutiny even falling on the Integrity of football’s governing body (FIFA), to the extent that Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter – the man who opened the envelope to reveal Qatar’s successful bid to host the finals – admitted they should have never been awarded the tournament, due to a myriad of reasons.

The treatment of migrant workers who built the infrastructure for the tournament, laws against LGBTQ+ people, Qatar’s attitudes towards women, and on the footballing side, the fact that it will be the first-ever winter World Cup for nations in the Northern Hemisphere due to the intense heat in Qatar, are all facets which have proved unpopular across the globe.
2.The Day the World Wept for Algeria (1982)
An event known by many as the “Disgrace of Dijon”, the only positive from the 1982 group-stage clash between West Germany and Austria was that it sparked a wind of change across football globally — reshaping the way final group fixtures across football competitions are being played.
The match started with the Germans staring at elimination unless they secured a win against neighbours Austria, following a loss to Algeria. The boys from Vienna on the other hand only had to avoid a defeat of three or more goals to ensure they finished above the North Africans.
Algeria had already played their final group fixture, beating Chile 3-2, so ended the group with four points – two points per win were awarded in this era.
What ensued was quite clearly a pre-planned agreement by the two nations to play out a low-scoring game to end in a West Germany win to ensure that both sides progressed at the expense of Algeria. After West Germany took the lead at 10 minutes, both sides proceeded to idly pass the ball around their defences and miss the target wildly with any efforts on goal.

Their action received widespread condemnation from the world’s press, and their respective football analysts didn’t spare them. The crowd in Gijon, took it a nudge higher, as they chanted the word ‘Algeria’ while whistling at the players for the farce they were portraying in front of them.
In the aftermath, FIFA decided that the final fixtures in a respective group should be played simultaneously from the 1986 World Cup, and that has applied, where possible, ever since in all major club and international tournaments.
3. The Argentine Conspiracy (1978)
A tournament uniquely drafted in a format that saw the host nation, Argentina secure a place in the final just by winning its group was nothing short of controversial. Four years ahead of the “Disgrace of Dijon” Argentina’s efforts were further enabled by the fact the final group games were not played simultaneously.
After Brazil defeated Poland 3-1 in the other game in the group, Argentina knew what they needed to do to qualify for the final when they faced Peru in their own final fixture the following day – win by four clear goals to leapfrog Brazil on goal difference.
Facing a goalkeeper who is of Argentine origin, the smell of the rat in the room was quite obvious to everyone. The hosts were able to knock six goals past Peru’s keeper Ramón Quiroga to get themselves into the World Cup final.

Theories ranging from alleging the Peruvian goalkeeper was born in Argentina to threats being made towards the Peruvian players were all bandied about, and it was not until decades later that some of those in the Peru side and within the Peruvian government at the time confirmed that a deal had been made and the players were pressured to underperform.
It is believed that a political agreement was made between the two nations in favour of Peru, and in return, they would agree to ‘throw’ the game so Argentina could reach the final, a final they would go on to win against the Netherlands.
4. South Korea’s Run to the Semi-Finals (2002)
Becoming the first Asian side to feature in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup was quite a feat accomplished in 2002 by the South Korean side led by Russian Guus Hiddink. But not without questions.
Officials being accused of aiding a home nation to World Cup glory is nothing new; Italy in 1934, England in 1966, and Argentina in 1978 are three famous examples where teams have been accused of receiving favourable decisions which helped them on their way to home successes.
When the World Cup came to Asia for the first time in 2002, these conspiracies came out of the woodwork again, with some holding the belief that co-hosts South Korea in particular were given multiple dodgy decisions in their favour to ensure their progression through the tournament so as to drum up more interest among the home crowd.

Their knockout matches against Italy and Spain came under intense scrutiny, so much so that then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter came out to admit that some of the officiating at the finals had been a disaster. Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno disallowed a perfectly legitimate goal and sent off Francesco Totti for a non-existent dive in Italy’s last-16 encounter with the Koreans, while Spain were denied two legitimate goals of their own in the quarter-final, with the linesmen accused of flagging Spanish attackers offside without a second thought, no matter how tight it looked.
With South Korea’s run to the semi-final deemed farcical, they had done little to win over neutrals when the plucky underdogs faced Germany, where they were finally eliminated and also lost in the third-place playoff to Turkey just days later.
5. Geoff Hurst’s Goal (1966)
One of the most controversial moments in sporting history happened in the 101st minute of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final.
The final between England and West Germany, saw hat-trick hero, England’s Geoff Hurst hit his shot off the crossbar, which ricochet down onto the goal line and went out.
On the play, Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst appeared undecided as to if the ball had crossed the line or not, but his Soviet assistant referee Tofiq Bahramov signalled to Dienst that the ball crossed the line. According to Bahramov’s memoirs, he believed the ball had bounced back not from the crossbar, but from the net, which made the movement insignificant.

Given the limited technology available at the time, no conclusive answer can ever be given on whether the ball crossed the line but using one particular camera angle mixed with modern advancements, estimates reveal that only 97% of the ball crossed the line, meaning it should not have stood.
The West German press accused Bahramov of bias against them given that they had eliminated the USSR in the semi-finals, while England were forever grateful to the linesman, and paid tribute to him when England faced Azerbaijan in 2004 at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku, renamed following his death in 1993.
According to a story of when Bahramov was on his deathbed, he was asked how he was so sure it was a goal and he gave the one-word reply “Stalingrad”, which is the name of the city in the then Soviet Union which over 75,000 Soviets died against Nazi Germany.


Must See
-
Basketball
/ 1 year agoWho Will Define the Next Generation of the NBA?
We are in a new era of basketball, centered around high volume of 3-point...
By Samson Osaze -
Flos Live
/ 1 year agoFLOS’ FIVE: Unforgettable Moments from the ‘Happy Slam’ Downunder
The Australian Open, often affectionately dubbed the “Happy Slam” in the eloquent words of...
By Samson Osaze -
American Football
/ 1 year agoFLOS’ Five: Super Bowl LVIII Predictions
The 2023/24 NFL season brimmed with captivating storylines, breakout stars, struggling favourites, and unexpected...
By Samson Osaze -
Football
/ 3 years agoAfrican Super League: What You Need to Know
The President of the Confederation of African football (CAF), Dr. Patrice Motsepe announced the...