Football and controversy are best friends. And they continued to be friends throughout 2010. Here are the best seven football controversies we wrote about during the year:
1. Maradona Vs Pele: A Perennial Rivalry
When Argentina had beaten Nigeria and were about to take on South Korea, Maradona decided to stake everything on his team winning the World Cup. With the conviction of a man who already had the World Cup securely locked in his cupboard, Maradona decided to settle scores with Pele and Platini who had questioned his coaching skills. To begin with, he said that Pele belonged in a museum…
2. Are The Brazil Holland Match-Fixing Rumours True?
There are conspiracy theories doing the rounds, about the World Cup. A popular one is that the Brazil Holland quarter-final was ‘fixed’…
3. Lampard’s Disallowed Goal At FIFA World Cup 2010
Uruguayan referee, Larrionda, might have actually done the football world a favour with his disallowing of Lampard’s goal in the England-Germany match at the World Cup…
4. Holland Unhappy With Referee Webb
Holland coach Bert van Merwyjk spoke out against referee Howard Webb after his side’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the final of FIFA World Cup 2010…
5. Jambulani Ball: Adidas Lets Out The Secret
Adidas, the manufacturer of the Jambulani Ball, has revealed the real reason why teams who received the ball in February failed to get used to the Jambulani…
6. Referee Scores Winning Goal
Football referees are human too. Like us fans, they want to see goals scored in games. And like us, again, they are bored when they are forced to officiate in goalless draws.
7. Referee Beats Up Players
Everyone goes to a football game to watch a good fight. And the fight becomes even more interesting when it’s between players and referees.