The FIFA World Cup is football’s most popular and arguably most important event. The fact that it occurs once per 4 years definitely impacts the number of people who watch the tournament. Speaking of the devil, this year, the FIFA World Cup 2022 takes place in Qatar, the first country from the Middle East to host such an event. Unsurprisingly, this was a controversial decision.
Speaking of controversies, according to Nostrabet.com, there have been loads of interesting moments over the years. “Almost every World Cup has at least a few things that people remember it for. The biggest football enthusiasts only pay attention to the matches and the winner. However, casual fans keep an eye on all sorts of other things”, said Kristiyan from NB.
But which are the controversies that no one can forget? Well, there are a couple, and we are about to find out more about each one. Make sure you read everything because some of the facts are intriguing, to say the least.
#1 4 Red Cards and 16 Yellow Cards in 1 Match
We’ve seen some pretty rough football games over the years, but when it comes down to the World Cup, most matches are not like that. However, there have been several exceptions, and one of them took place during the 2006 World Cup.
During that time, Portugal and the Netherlands successfully advanced from the Group Stage and had to battle in Round 16. Normally, these two teams are not associated with football violence in any way, but this game was different. Once the match ended, the referee from Russia used 4 red cards and 16 yellow cards, which was a record.
The fiasco began just 2 minutes after the start of the game as Marco van Basten (the Netherlands’ coach) received the first booking. Needless to say, many other things led to the record of yellow and red cards.
#2 Italy supported fascism in the 1938 World Cup
The 1930s were very interesting, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there were all sorts of controversies. That said, some people remember even today the fascist salute by the Italian players before their match against France.
During that time, Italy’s leader Mussolini ordered the team to wear black shirts instead of white ones. Italy couldn’t use their traditional kit because the team had to face France, which also had a blue kit. Besides the black kit, the Italian team also did the popular fascist salute. They defeated France and ended up winning the entire event.
#3 Maradona’s failed drug test in 1994
The 1994 World Cup was one of the most interesting, and everyone who kept an eye on it knows it. Sadly, the event wasn’t that good for one of South America’s powerhouses – Argentina.
Despite being one of the favourites to win the event, Maradona and the rest couldn’t do so. One reason for it is that Diego Maradona had to take a drug test following Argentina’s victory against Greece in the Group Stage. Sadly, he failed it, which led to the organizers removing him from the tournament.
Sadly, this was Maradona’s last match for Argentina.
#4 Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi During the 2006 World Cup
In addition to the infamous match between Portugal and Netherlands, the 2006 World Cup will go down in history for several other reasons. One of them is the headbutt incident between Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi.
This happened in the final between France and Italy, where the Italians won after a penalty shootout. According to Zidane, who received a red card following his actions, Materazzi said something insulting about his mother. The French captain and superstar said numerous times that he regrets his decision, but he “would rather die” than apologise to Materazzi.
#5 The Hand of God from Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona was one of the greatest football players to ever lived, and he had a key role in every team he was a part of, including Argentina’s national football squad. Needless to say, he had a significant impact on the World Cup as well, especially after the events in 1986.
This World Cup will go down in history because, in the match against England, Diego Maradona scored a goal with his hand. In a tackle between him and Peter Shilton 51 minutes after the start, Maradona somehow jumped higher than the goalkeeper and used his hand to score the goal. The referee did not notice it, which is why the goal is known as “The Hand of God”.
After eliminating England in the quarterfinal, Argentina won the event after defeating West Germany in the Final. This victory gave Maradona his first and only World Cup trophy.
#6 The clash between Chile and Italy in 1962
Italy has been involved in many controversies over the years, but one of the most notable ones occurred in 1962. During that time, the Italians were in Group 2 and had to go up against Chile, the tournament’s host. The problem was that the country suffered the most devastating earthquake just 2 years ago, which forced two popular Italian journalists to say that Santiago, Chile’s capital, was a dump.
Needless to say, this sparked tension between the two countries, which resulted in a very, very interesting match in the group. Chile won the clash after scoring 2 goals, but fans will remember the match because the first foul took place after just 12 seconds of play. Several minutes later, the referee gave Honorino Landa a red card. What’s more, the police had to escort him off the pitch because he did not want to leave.
Speaking of the police, the latter had to break up many fights, including between Leonel Sanchez and Humberto Maschio. The two got into a fight, and the player from Chile broke his nose.
#7 The murder of Andres Escobar
Sadly, one of the biggest World Cup controversies occurred just a few days after the end of the competition. During the 1994 World Cup, Andres Escobar, Columbia’s player, scored his own goal against the USA. Unsurprisingly, no one was happy, but fans did not expect someone to shoot him.
The bad news is that just 10 days after the end of the World Cup, someone murdered the Columbian player. People knew the 27-year-old defender as “the Gentleman” because of his calmness. Unfortunately, three men approached him in the parking lot near a popular nightclub in Medellín. After arguing with him, the attackers shot him 6 times. According to some rumours, the killer shouted “Goal” after each shot; this is why people think that his death is related to his own goal against the U.S.
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