IMPERFECT TEN
The hall of shame that still blights beautiful game after decades of mondial mania
SINCE its first staging in Uruguay in 1930, the World Cup has enraptured millions. We’ve seen Carlos Alberto’s clinching goal for Brazil in 1970, Diego Maradona slaloming through England’s defence 16 years later and Andres Iniesta and Mario Gotze scoring winners to claim the cup for Spain and Germany this century. Frequently, however, there has been a dark side to the Greatest Show on Earth. Here, Sportsmail’s JOHN McGARRY recalls ten moments that have shaken the world.
10 ROY KEANE WALKS OUT ON IRELAND
Prior to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the FAI opted for a week-long training camp in Saipan as a gentle warm-up for the real business.
What ensued in the quiet Pacific island was an episode so extraordinary that it’s no stretch to say it became one of the most feverishly debated issues in Irish life.
Infuriated at the late arrival of training equipment and a rock hard training pitch, Keane took his grievance directly to boss Mick McCarthy, threatened to fly home, changed his mind, then changed it back again after an explosive press interview prompted a very public airing of grievances.
Keane’s actions still divide a nation.
9 ZINEDINE ZIDANE’S HEADBUTT ON MARCO MATERAZZI
It says much about the magnitude of the 19th-minute flashpoint during extra-time in the 2006 final between France and Italy that the fact both men scored the game’s only goals is almost forgotten.
Zidane had put France on course to win the cup for the second time with a Panenkastyle penalty conversion before the Italian equalised.
With the outcome of the game still undecided, however, Zidane reacted to Materazzi’s verbal sledging by slamming his head into his chest — with a red card the inevitable consequence.
Years later, Materazzi confessed his insults pertained to Zidane’s sister. Zidane has said he will never accept an apology.
8 LUIZ SUAREZ’S BITE ON GIORGIO CHIELLINI
It wasn’t as if Luis Suarez had arrived in Brazil in 2014 without any previous indiscretions.
Already renowned for biting while playing for Ajax and Liverpool, the Uruguayan would have known all eyes were on him as he and the Italian defender contested a loose ball late in the group game.
The two jostled then fell to the turf. Referee Marco Rodriguez gave a free-kick to Italy but took no further action.
As Chiellini chased after the official pointing to bite marks on his arm, Suarez sat rubbing his teeth. He’d done it again.
Despite his and his nation’s extraordinary denials, there was no question he had been caught bang to rights.
FIFA banned him for nine internationals, from all football for four months and fined him 100,000 Swiss francs.
7 RONALDO NOT IN THE STARTING LINE-UP
Never have team sheets spawned so many theories as the initial omission of Ronaldo from Brazil’s side to face France in the 1998 final.
Arriving in France with a claim to being the greatest player in the world, the striker stunned the world’s media in those few minutes with his apparent no-show in the same way he’d done to so many defenders.
Many believed sponsors Nike were behind it. The answer was more prosaic: He’d suffered convulsions and lost consciousness for several minutes before being cleared to play by medical staff.
In any event, he was miles off the pace as Zidane-inspired France ran out 3-0 winners.
6 FRANK RIJKAARD SPITS ON RUDI VOLLER
Germany and Holland don’t really like each other, so when the nations were scheduled to face off in the second round of Italia 90, fireworks were expected to fly.
Midway through a typically tasty first half in the San Siro, all hell broke loose.
Booked for a petulant challenge on Voller that would rule him out of the quarter-final, Rijkaard lost the plot. Jogging past his opponent as he prepared to defend the free-kick, he spat in the German’s hair.
Verbals ensued at which point Voller was also booked.
Goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen fielded the free-kick. Voller accidentally bumped into him but Rijkaard wasn’t having it and dragged the German to his feet by the ear then stamped on his foot.
Amid the fracas, both players were issued with a second yellow and a red card.
5 THE WEST GERMANY v AUSTRIA FIX
What became known as the Disgrace of Gijon happened in the group stage of the 1982 World Cup.
The German campaign began with a shock defeat to Algeria but they recovered to beat Chile while the North Africans lost to Austria and beat Chile.
Crucially, though, Algeria’s final match took place one day before the European neighbours met.
Despite pre-match protests to the contrary, West Germany and Austria carved up the only score that would put both of them through at Algeria’s expense — a 1-0 German win — with scarcely a tackle made in earnest after Horst Hrubesch’s 10th-minute goal.
El Comercio, the local newspaper, printed the match report in its crime section. From that day on, the final round of group games were always played at the same time.
4 THE 1950 FINAL BETWEEN URUGUAY AND BRAZIL
Watched by a crowd of 199,854 in the Maracana, the question wasn’t if Brazil would win the Jules Rimet trophy for the first time but by how many goals.
But Uruguay won 2-1 to add to their victory of 1930. When the final whistle sounded, the stadium was said to have filled with ‘disturbing and traumatic absolute silence’.
Many Brazilian newspapers refused to accept the fact they had been defeated with some fans said to have committed suicide. Brazil never wore white jerseys again.
3 PATRICK BATTISTON CLATTERED BY TONI SCHUMACHER
The 1982 semi-final in Seville saw West Germany and France share six goals over 120 breathless minutes with the former only proceeding to a final meeting with Italy after an extraordinary penalty shoot-out.
Yet, the match will forever be remembered for a foul that was not only one of the worst in the game’s history but enjoys additional notoriety because it unfathomably went unpunished.
In the 57th minute, with the score 1-1, Michel Platini poked a pass through the German defence to Battiston.
Having watched the Frenchman clip his shot past the right-hand post, the German keeper, Toni Schumacher, deliberately leapt into Battiston’s face.
As Battiston lay motionless, the keeper spotted the ball for a goal-kick and chewed his gum. Four minutes later, unconscious and having lost three teeth, Battiston was stretchered off and would require oxygen before being taken to hospital.
It should have been a penalty to France and a red card for the keeper. Neither materialised.
The penalty shoot-out was only ever going to end one way — Schumacher the hero.
2 MARADONA AND THE HAND OF GOD
The most talked about goal ever? Even in a sport which, by nature, divides opinion, there is no debate on this count.
The first half of the 1986 quarter-final between Argentina and England had been something of a damp squib.
Then, six minutes after the restart, Steve Hodge inadvertently sent a miscue back towards Peter Shilton’s goal.
Quick as a flash, Maradona rose to challenge the keeper with his left arm raised and turned to celebrate with only the slightest glance over his shoulder at the Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser.
Even his later slalom from inside his own half, surely the finest individual goal ever scored, could not camouflage the greatest act of sporting larceny.
1 THE TRAGEDY OF ANDRES ESCOBAR
The story of the defender murdered for the ‘crime’ of scoring an own goal remains as appalling now as it was 24 years ago.
Having topped their qualifying group without losing a match, Colombia arrived at USA ’94 with heightened expectations but an opening loss to Romania meant they had to avoid defeat in their second game with the hosts to stay in contention.
Stretching to block a cross from John Harkes, Escobar inadvertently put the ball into his own net as his side slid to a 2-1 loss that confirmed their elimination.
What transpired days later was horrific. Sitting in his car outside a nightclub in his home city of Medellin, the 27-year-old was gunned down in cold blood.
His funeral was attended by 120,000 people. Initially thought to be a punishment for the own goal, Humberto Castro Munoz was later imprisoned after it emerged he had acted on behalf of the leader of a drug cartel who had lost heavily through Colombia’s failure.