If you think that football players are the only ones to go through an insane intensity of pressure to perform well on the field, you might need to reconstruct your thoughts. Applauded for the right decisions and brutally criticized for the wrong ones – the referees certainly don’t have an easy job serving in a football match! From showing red cards to rolling out penalties, the football referees can undoubtedly alter the course of an entire match, and sometimes their path-breaking decisions can also spark fuming controversies among the fans of the game.
In this article, we will take a look at the top five most controversial decisions of football referees that left everyone in utter shock.
Top Five Most Controversial Refereeing Decisions in the History of Football
1. Mike Riley’s Penalty – Manchester United vs Arsenal (2004)
Manchester United vs Arsenal was hailed as one of the most anticipated fixtures in 2004 as both the clubs were arch-rivals and, more than anything, Arsenal had entered the match with an undefeated streak of 49 league matches. During the 73rd minute of the match, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney went down in the box after receiving a cold challenge from Arsenal’s defender Sol Campbell and exaggerated the fall.
Although the match replays indicated that there was minimum contact and Wayne Rooney had deliberately exaggerated the fall, Mike Riley chose to award a penalty to Manchester United, which undoubtedly received brutal criticism from the fans as it contributed to ending Arsenal’s winning streak in the Premier League.
2. Stuart Attwell’s “Phantom Goal” Controversy – Watford vs Reading, 2008
Although it’s been over a decade since this fateful incident, it is still looked upon as one of the most bizarre moments in the history of football refereeing. Early in the game, Reading took a corner and the ball ended up going across the wide of the post for a goal kick.
While, in reality, the ball never even came close to entering the goal, the referee of the match, Stuart Attwell, along with his assistant Nigel Bannister ended up awarding a goal to Reading. Despite receiving an instant disagreement and a strong backlash from his teammates at Watford, Stuart Attwell never turned back his decision. Since the goal was awarded to Reading in the 13th minute of the match, it led to a draw at 2-2. Later, even the Football League made it clear that it wasn’t a “goal”, leaving Stuart Attwell’s image as a referee tarnished.
3. Mike Jones’ “Beach Ball Goal” Controversy – Liverpool vs Sunderland, 2009
At the third spot in our list of the top five most controversial refereeing decisions in the history of football, we have the infamous “Beach Ball Goal” incident that took place in the Liverpool vs Sunderland match in 2009 under the referee Mike Jones. During the 5th minute of the match, Sunderland’s striker Darren Bent attempted to strike a goal, but the ball visibly collided against a deflated volleyball thrown on the pitch by a Liverpool fan and ended up deflecting towards the back of the net.
Although according to the rules of football, a drop-ball should have been awarded since there was clear interference by an outside agent, the match referee Mike Jones, awarded a goal to Sunderland, which ultimately led to their victory against Liverpool. The entire incident became a huge talking point in the world of football and Mike Jones received brutal hatred from the fans of Sunderland.
4. Pedro Mendes’ “Disallowed Goal” – Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United, 2005
Ever wondered at the kind of excruciating pain and pressure that a football player goes through when they are not awarded a goal, even when they put in all the effort and skills? Well, the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in 2005 unfortunately witnessed one of the most controversial and infamous “no-goal” incidents in the history of the Premier League.
In the 89th minute of the match, Manchester United’s goalkeeper Roy Carroll misjudged the deflection and fumbled it behind him, before Carroll could even realize and scoop it out, the ball already crossed the goal line. As per the rules of football, it was a clear goal. However, the match referee Pedro Mendes disallowed the goal, which later resulted in an aftermath of the controversy.
5. Craig Pawson “Red Card” Controversy – Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, 2021
There’s no doubt about the fact that the Red Cards have always brought along a streak of controversy each time they’re shown by a referee in a match. However, this specific incident in the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2021, where the match referee Craig Pawson showed a red card to Wolves’ David Luiz, is still hailed as one of the most shocking refereeing decisions in the history of football.
During the stoppage time of the first half, Arsenal’s David Luiz chased down Wolves’ forward Willian Jose and unfortunately stepped on the back heel of Jose’s shoe, which led him to fall inside the penalty box. Although the replays indicated that the whole incident that occurred between the two football players was an accident with minimal contact, the referee, Craig Pawson, ended up showing a red card to Arsenal’s David Luiz, which led to his immediate dismissal from the team.
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