FIFA World Cup controversies that would have looked very different under VAR

Geoff Hurst’s ‘ghost goal’: England vs West Germany, 1966 World Cup

England won its only World Cup title when the tournament reached British shores in 1966, beating West Germany in the final at Wembley. However, the outcome could have been very different had goal-line technology existed.

After a 2-2 draw in regular time, England pushed ahead in the first half of extra time. With four minutes to go, Alan Ball scored a cross from the right for Geoff Hurst to be in control. The striker spun past his centre-back and unleashed a shot towards goal which bounced off the crossbar towards the goal line before spinning.

Gottfried Dienst, the referee and the linesman were initially unclear whether the ball had crossed the line, but after some discussion awarded the goal.

West Germany, now forced to chase the match, conceded again as Hurst completed his hat-trick to secure England’s only World Cup victory and ensure football ‘came home’ for the first and only time.

Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’: England vs Argentina, 1986 World Cup

Few performances better justify Diego Maradona’s ‘mercurial’ title than Argentina’s quarter-final against England in 1986, where he produced two of football’s most infamous and incredible moments.

Early in the second half, with the score goalless, Maradona picked up the ball near the halfway line and drove into the infield towards the England penalty area before handing it off to Jorge Valdano. Valdano had a wrong control and Steve Hodge tried to hook the ball away towards his own goal.

Peter Shilton moved up to collect the air ball but could only get second after the raised fist of Maradona, who smashed the ball into the empty net. Referee Ali Ben Nasser failed to spot the handball, causing the ‘Hand of God’.

Later in the match, Maradona scored one of the big World Cup goals, dribbling through the entire England squad before heading home. But with television replay technology it is impossible to say whether Argentina would have won its second World Cup title.

Voller’s questionable penalty: Germany vs Argentina, 1990 World Cup

Maradona found himself on the receiving end of some questionable refereeing decisions in the following edition, this time in the final as Argentina looked to defend their crown against West Germany.

The final, a tough affair in Rome, featured some questionable decisions from referee Edgardo Codesal. First he didn’t award a penalty when Rudi Voller was brought down in the Argentine penalty area, and then he gave Argentina’s Pedro Monzon the dubious honor of becoming the first player to receive his marching orders in a World Cup final after a tackle on Jurgen Klinsmann.

The decisive moment came with just over five minutes to play. Voller was slipped into the channel and defender Roberto Sensini stepped over the striker. As he did so, Voller hit the ground, and although there was minimal contact, Codesal pointed to the spot to award a soft penalty.

Andreas Brehme saved the penalty and after Gustavo Dezotti also received his marching orders for a frustrated act of violence, West Germany celebrated their third World Cup title.

Schumacher escapes red: West Germany vs France, 1982 World Cup

West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher’s collision with Frenchman Patrick Battiston remains one of the most sickening injuries on a World Cup pitch. With the score at 1–1 in the second half of the semi-final in Seville in 1982, Michel Platini threw a ball through the West German defense for Battiston to run onto, and Schumacher charged off his line to retrieve the ball.

Battiston got there first, but Schumacher’s momentum was too much to control and the keeper caught him with full force. Battiston was left unconscious, lost two teeth and suffered damage to his back and ribs, requiring replacement.

It was a tough late challenge from the German keeper, undoubtedly worthy of a red card, and yet Charles Corver inexplicably awarded a goal kick, leaving Schumacher unpunished. To make matters worse for the French, the match ended 3–3 after extra time, and Schumacher saved two penalties in the shootout to take West Germany to the final against Italy.

(No) Golden Goal: Italy vs South Korea, 2002 World Cup

All other entries on this list are unique incidents that determined the course of matches and tournaments. But the need for VAR in Italy and co-host of South Korea’s last-16 match in Rifu extended far beyond one moment, when referee Byron Moreno drew the ire of an Italian side that felt the going was tough.

The trouble started five minutes later, when Moreno awarded South Korea a soft penalty for pulling a shirt in the penalty area. Ahn Jung-hwan saw his penalty saved by Gianluigi Buffon, and Christian Vieri quickly headed in Francisco Totti’s corner to give Italy the lead. Italy held on in a tough match until Seol Ki-hyeon headed home with seconds left to send the match to extra time.

In the first half of the extra 30 minutes, with a Golden Goal set to decide the victory, Totti turned into the penalty area and went down under a challenge, after which Moreno awarded him a second yellow card for diving. A short time later, Damiano Tommasi found himself on target, but saw the flag raised despite being clearly offside.

By the time Ahn went home victorious, Italy seemed convinced it had fallen victim to a conspiracy to eliminate the country. FIFA president Sepp Blatter later called the linesmen’s performance a ‘disgrace’, but it was all too late as South Korea reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, while Italy went home.

Published on June 4, 2026

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