We all get things wrong but some referees have made calls so horrifically wrong that it's impossible not to think that they're match fixing. Let's take a look at the worst, most hated and corrupt football referees of all time.
6. Stuart Attwell
Stuart Atwell is one of the worst football referees of all time thanks to the ghost goal he awarded in a Championship game in 2008. Atwell bizarrely awarded a goal after the ball went over for a goal kick. Astonishingly the ball was over two yards away from the goal making it one of the worst refereeing decisions in history.
Atwell has a reputation for being trigger happy with red cards and time and time again he's found ways to destroy a football game. The FA has even upheld claims of wrongful dismissal following his errors. Atwell has found himself demoted from Premier League officiating in the past due to his errors.
'Ghost goal' referee Stuart Attwell is handed recall to the Premier League after two years http://t.co/vjybE1vEVU pic.twitter.com/R1WhNiJjPK
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) October 28, 2014
Source: Originally posted on Twitter by @MailSport
5. Mourad Daami
Tunisian referee Mourad Daami had an absolute shocker at the 2000 AFCON Final between Nigeria and Cameroon. Nigeria beat Cameroon 4-3 on penalties after Daami had ruled out Victor Ikpeba's fourth penalty for Nigeria. TV replays clearly showed that the ball crossed the line.
son TAB tape la barre puis rebondit derrière la ligne, mais l’arbitre tunisien Mourad Daami n’accorde pas le but. Plus tard le Nigéria s’incline 4-3. pic.twitter.com/YaL4oSWEm7
— Daouda Koné (@YahGbantigui) January 5, 2022
Source: Originally posted on Twitter by @YahGbantigui
Later that year Daami was banned from refereeing African football matches after being caught trying to influence the decisions of fellow referee Robbie Williams at the African Champions League Final. It's surprising that FIFA even allowed Daami to officiate at the 2002 World Cup. He officiated the group stage match between Mexico and Ecuador.
4. Anthony Taylor
Anthony Taylor is the most hated referee in the world based on the online abuse he cops. Many consider him one of the worst football referees of all time and certainly the worst referee in England. Taylor trended on Twitter after his horrible performance in the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal in 2020. Taylor caused a stir when he sent off Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
Unfortunately VAR couldn't help with Taylor's terrible call as the process cannot overrule on yellow cards and only on straight reds. Xhaka's theatrics sold Taylor into giving an undeserved yellow card that changed the game. Should Taylor have even been officiating the game in the first place? Fellow referee Mark Clattenburg admitted afterwards that he shouldn't have been.
https://twitter.com/FrankKhalidUK/status/1290186512970051585?s=20&t=0-fows7bS-v5i69Zc6PdZQ
- FrankKhalidUK
Source: Originally posted on Twitter by @FrankKhalidUK
...I'll be back tomorrow with the final part and the three WORST and most HATED football refs of all time.
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Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.