Football fans have revealed their top most controversial World Cup moments – with Diego Maradona's infamous “Hand of God” in 1986 topping the list.
The Argentine ace knocked England out of the World Cup after scoring the goal with his fist – and more than 35 years later, almost half of Brits (43%) still say they will “never forgive him”.
It comes as a poll of 2,000 football lovers revealed the most controversial tournament moments they think would have benefited from Video Assistant Referee (VAR) replays.
Other memorable moments include Frank Lampard's clearly over-the-line shot against Germany in 2010, that wasn’t given.
And in qualifying games, Thierry Henry’s blatant – yet unpunished – handball against Ireland in 2009 was chosen by 28%.
Just under one in five (19%), however, also suspect Geoff Hurst’s game-changing goal in the 1966 final, which England went on to win, might not have been given had VAR been around.
The research was commissioned by Samsung UK to showcase the 2022 range of Neo QLED TVs, featuring Quantum Dot technology.
VAR analyst and former professional referee, Dermot Gallagher, working with Samsung, said: “As a proud Irish man, the most controversial decision for me has to be Thierry Henry’s handball in the World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in 2009.
“With VAR and decent tech in place, the foul would have been called, bringing the tied game to penalties.”
Other World Cup injustices football fans recall include Spain having two perfectly good goals disallowed against tournament hosts South Korea in 2002 (19%).
And 21% are still bitter about West Germany’s Jurgen Klinsmann diving in the 1990 final, which got the Argentine Monzón sent off.
In fact, nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) believe VAR would have eradicated most of the World Cup injustices that have taken place over the years.
But 48% say that while VAR has advantages, it still has a way to go before it’s a truly useful tool when it comes to refereeing matches.
The biggest drawback football fans see with VAR is that it means you don’t know whether a goal can be celebrated, in case it’s chalked off for some unseen infringement (28%).
Another 28% think it’s being used for the “wrong” reasons – like trying to gauge if a handball was deliberate, instead of a black-and-white decision like if a ball had crossed the line.
And one in five (19%) believe that, far from solving any debates, VAR actually leads to even more arguments among pundits post-game.
The study also found during a typical World Cup match, fans will disagree with a referee’s decision four times.
And a staggering 36% even believe they could competently referee a match at the highest level – the World Cup finals.
Spokeswoman Zeena Hill, for Samsung UK, which has offered to supply the English Football Association and FIFA World Cup VAR departments with Neo QLED TVs, to help with picture detail, said: “With recent success for the English national teams, the excitement for this year’s World Cup is bigger than ever.”
TOP CONTROVERSIAL WORLD CUP MOMENTS THAT WOULD HAVE BENEFITTED FROM VAR:
- Maradona's “Hand of God” goal against England, in 1986
- Frank Lampard's shot against Germany that hit the bar and clearly crossed the line, but wasn’t given, in 2010
- Thierry Henry's handball for France vs Ireland in a 2010 World Cup Qualifier
- West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher's incredible, unpunished foul against France’s Patrick Battiston, in 1982
- Holland's Nigel de Jong not being sent off for a studs-up foul into Spain’s Xabi Alonso’s chest, in the opening minutes of the 2010 World Cup Final
- West Germany's Jurgen Klinsmann’s iconic dive in the 1990 Final, resulting in Argentina’s Monzón being sent off, in 1990
- Portugal's Luis Figo not getting sent off for a headbutt against Netherland’s Van Bommel, in 2006
- Neymar receiving a yellow card and not a red for an elbow in Brazil’s game against Croatia, in 2014
- Spain having two perfectly good goals disallowed against South Korea, in 2002
- Geoff Hurst's goal for England in the 1966 World Cup Final
