Biggest Football Controversies

One of the many reasons why so many people love football is because of the dramatic moments that change games. Goals are the most important moments of any football match, but a red card can have an enormous impact on the game, especially if it comes early.  There have been several incidents which have led to early red cards in games, and these can be early ...

Continuing the series looking at some of the dirtiest matches in football history. For Part One click here, Part Two here, and Part Three here. The FA Cup Final used to be the showpiece of English football and, in the days before the Premier League and Sky Sports, it was virtually the only live match TV viewers in the UK ...

Continuing the series looking at some of the dirtiest matches in football history. For Part One click here, and Part Two here. In 1967 it was the tun of Celtic from Scotland to represent Europe and Racing Club of Argentina to meet in this annual fixture. The forerunner of the Club World Cup was the Intercontinental Cup which saw the ...

In 2011 Mexico were preparing for the Gold Cup, the biennial CONCAF Championship featuring countries from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. However, on the eve of the tournament, five players, including first-choice goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and defender Francisco Rodriguez, tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol an anabolic agent commonly used by bodybuilders and celebrities to help them ...

the result – Italy beat France in a penalty shoot-out – but for the incident in extra time which not only saw one of the world’s great players event off but also ended his star-studded career. Even many years after the event, people continue to speculate as to why Zinedine Zidane decided to heat butt Italian defender Marco Materazzi. Zidane ...

It made headlines around the world, whilst the press conference that followed it became almost as famous for the bizarre philosophical statements offered up by the man at the centre of the controversy, Manchester United striker Eric Cantona. On January 25th, 1995, his United side were playing Crystal Palace in a  league match at Selhurst Park in South London. The ...

Tony Chapron was a highly respected French referee. He had been refereeing in the top flight of French football since 2004, and had taken charge of more than 400 games, including the French Cup final in 2014. And  his services were also in demand abroad, and he had also officiated in the Chinese Super League. He had also taken charge ...

Whilst barely remembered now, few men can have created more headlines around the world for one incident than Chile goalkeeper Roberto Rojas, often known as the Condor for the way he swooped and dived around his goalmouth. At the time, the image of Rojas prone on the floor bleeding caused shock waves around the world, until photographer’s stills of the ...

The 1978 World Cup has claims to be one of the most controversial ever.  A Welsh referee disallowed a Brazil gaol because he judged it was full-time as the ball was about to cross the line, and  a Scottish player was sent home for taking a banned stimulant. And, meanwhile, off the pitch, terrible things were happening away from the ...

The Hillsborough Disaster refers to the events of April 15, 1989 in which  numerous Liverpool fans were crushed at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesday’s ground during Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Due to overcrowding in a standing only section of the ground too many Liverpool fans were allowed into an enclosed space, and 95 ...