Top 20 Most Controversial Calls in Sports History

Top 20 Most Controversial Calls in Sports History

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most infamous and egregiously bad calls ever made by sports officials.

#20: Geoff Hurst’s Wembley Goal

England won its only World Cup on July 30, 1966, defeating West Germany 4-2. However, the game is marred by a small degree of controversy. Eleven minutes into extra time, Geoff Hurst kicked the ball, which bounced off the underside of the crossbar before getting cleared. The Referee called it a goal, but others weren’t so sure. To this day, the goal remains contentious and has even been studied by the likes of Oxford University. The results are not good - according to modern analysis, the ball did not fully cross the goal line, and therefore should not have counted.

#19: Super Bowl XL

In this edition of the Super Bowl, The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. However, the former’s celebration was somewhat ruined by intense criticism in the media. Many football experts criticized the general officiating, with many different calls being singled out for question and doubt. A poll conducted by ESPN also found that nearly 62% of respondents believed that bad officiating affected the outcome of the game. While the NFL argued that the game was well-run, head referee Bill Leavy later admitted, “I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game, and as an official you never want to do that.”

#18: The Phantom Tag

Mention the 1999 ALCS to any Red Sox fan and you’ll be met with a huge groan. The Sox were playing the Yankees, with the winner advancing to the World Series. It was game four, bottom of the eighth, with New York up 3-2. Jose Offerman was on first with one out when John Valentin hit a dribbler to second base. Chuck Knoblauch tagged the running Offerman and threw the ball to first, turning a double play and ending the inning. But Offerman was left visibly angry, and for good reason. Knoblauch did not tag Offerman. In fact, he wasn’t even close. Unfortunately, calls could not be argued or overturned at the time, so the Red Sox were simply out of luck.

#17: The Heads-Tails Fiasco

Even a simple coin toss can be the source of great controversy. Back in 1998, the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. The game went to overtime, prompting a coin toss from referee Phil Luckett. The Steelers’ Jerome Bettis said “tails” while the coin was in the air, yet when the coin came up tails, Luckett gave possession to the Lions. Luckett claims that Bettis said heads before changing it to tails. But as per the rules, Luckett went with the first answer, losing the Steelers both the coin toss and, ultimately, the game. The rules were changed following this messy incident, with the referee needing to audibly confirm the player’s choice before the coin is flipped.

#16: The Outfield Infield Fly

According to MLB.com, an infield fly is defined as “any fair fly ball (not including a line drive or a bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when first and second or first, second and third base are occupied, before two men are out.” The batter who hit the ball is automatically called out. The 2012 National League Wild Card game between the Cardinals and Braves was in the bottom of the eighth, with the Cardinals up 6-3. The Braves’ Andrelton Simmons hit a pop-up to shallow left field, which fell for a hit and loaded the bases. However, the umpires called it an infield fly, meaning Simmons was out and the bases were no longer loaded. The game was delayed while Braves fans threw trash on the field, and the team went on to lose 6-3.

#15: Two Seconds From Victory

Often considered one of the greatest fights of the ‘90s, Julio César Chávez fought Meldrick Taylor in what was billed “Thunder Meets Lightning.” While it was an exceptionally entertaining fight, it was somewhat ruined by its highly controversial and still-debated ending. Taylor was up on points going into the final round, meaning he would win the fight if he wasn’t knocked out. Well, lo and behold, Taylor was knocked to the ground by Chávez, and despite standing back up, he was defeated by way of TKO after failing to respond to the referee. This came with just two seconds left on the clock. The referee’s decision to end the fight is still intensely debated.

#14: Michael Jordan’s Potential Foul

Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals is considered one of the best basketball games ever played, with the Bulls defeating the Jazz 87-86 and subsequently winning the championship. The game is widely remembered for its final seconds, where Bulls superstar Michael Jordan sank two to put the Bulls ahead. However, some contend that Jordan pushed off Jazz forward Bryon Russell before taking the shot, thereby committing an offensive foul. Some argue that Jordan intentionally fouled, some argue that it was momentum, and some argue that, while he did push off, it was right not to be called.

#13: Henry’s Handball

In 2010, the Republic of Ireland played France in a two-legged playoff game to qualify for the World Cup. The second game went to extra time, and at one point French captain Thierry Henry could be seen handling the ball to keep it from going out of bounds. He passed to William Gallas, who scored the game winning goal. This goal should not have happened, as a whistle should have blown after Henry touched the ball. However, the infraction was not seen by any of the officials and the goal was counted as valid. Henry later admitted to touching the ball, but defensively claimed, “I am not the official.”

#12: The Dion Waiters Shove

The Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals. The controversy didn’t begin until game two, which the Thunder won by just one point. All Hell erupted with thirteen seconds left in the game, when the Thunder’s Dion Waiters shoved Manu Ginobili. This blatant foul was not called, and time ran out with the Thunder emerging victorious. Basketball legend Magic Johnson called it “the worst missed call in playoff history,” and referee Ken Mauer admitted that it should have been called an offensive foul. Unfortunately, this was just one of five incorrect non-calls that occurred in the final sequence of the game, ending it on a total disaster of officiating.

#11: The Jeffrey Maier Incident

It’s the 1996 American League Championship Series, and the Yankees are playing the Orioles in game one. It’s the bottom of the eighth, with the Yankees trailing 4-3. Derek Jeter hits a deep fly ball, which seems like it will be caught by right fielder Tony Tarasco. However, a kid named Jeffrey Maier reaches over the stands and catches the ball himself, robbing Tarasco of the out. This was a blatant example of interference, and Jeter should have been ruled out. Yet umpire Rich Garcia ruled it a home run, tying the game and allowing the Yankees to win in extra innings. Garcia later watched the playback and admitted that interference had occurred. But by then, it was already way too late.

#10: Frank Lampard’s Ghost Goal

The 2010 edition of the World Cup saw England playing Germany in the knockout round. Germany was up 2-1 when England’s Frank Lampard scored a goal to tie the game. Oh wait, no he didn’t. You see, the ball had hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced to the ground, crossing the goal line. However, the backspin on the ball caused it to shoot back to goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who quickly grabbed it and continued play. Unfortunately, neither of the referees saw the ball cross the line, so the goal was not awarded. It’s the tie that should have been, because that ball was a mile past the line.

#9: Roy Jones Jr. Somehow Loses to Park Si-Hun

One of the most celebrated boxers in history, Roy Jones Jr. represented the United States at the 1988 Olympics, fighting South Korea’s Park Si-Hun. The fight completely belonged to Jones, who landed 86 punches. Park even got a standing eight count and only hit Jones 32 times. Despite landing nearly triple the punches, Jones lost the fight, with the judges awarding a split decision victory to Park. The ruling was so egregious that Park reportedly apologized to Jones after the fight, and referee Aldo Leoni told Jones that he should have won. The decision was controversial, allegations of corruption were made, and the judges who voted against Jones were suspended.

#8: Vinny Testaverde’s Non-Touchdown

In 1998, the NFL did not have a review system in place. Instant replay was in use from the mid ‘80s to the early ‘90s, but it was removed for slowing the pace of play. This changed after the Jets’ Vinny Testaverde scored a touchdown with his helmet. The Jets were playing the Seahawks and were down 31-26 with twenty seconds to go. Testaverde attempted a sneak and ran the ball but was stopped by the Seahawks’ defense. However, his helmet had crossed the line, and referee Earnie Frantz mistook it for the ball, awarding the Jets a touchdown. The Seahawks lost both the game and a playoff berth, and wouldn’t you know it, instant replay was brought back for the 1999 season.

#7: The No Goal Game

For fans of the Buffalo Sabres, the Dallas Stars, their forward Brett Hull, and the entire 1999 Stanley Cup Finals may as well be a bad dream. The fury dates back to June 19, 1999, with the Sabres playing the Stars in game six. The game was fantastic, going to triple overtime and pushing each team to their absolute limits. Hull eventually scored the game-winning goal, giving the Stars their first Stanley Cup. However, his left skate was in the crease, so many believed that the goal shouldn’t have counted. Upon review, it was determined that Hull had complete control of the puck despite his skate entering the crease, and therefore, the goal was good. Sabres fans still aren’t convinced.

#6: The Fail Mary

On September 24, 2012, the Packers were visiting the Seahawks and were winning 12-7 with just one second left, prompting quarterback Russell Wilson to throw a Hail Mary. Both Golden Tate and M. D. Jennings caught the ball, resulting in complete pandemonium. The refs called both a touchdown and a touchback before ruling a touchdown, giving the Seahawks the win. Furthermore, Tate had shoved another player before making the catch, which should have been called pass interference. Intense criticism was levied at both the touchdown ruling and the missed interference call. This came at a time when NFL officials were on strike, resulting in the use of replacements. Following this game, the NFL made a deal with the Referees Association and the strike ended.

#5: Cold War on the Court

Going into the 1972 Olympics basketball final, Team USA had an undefeated record of 63-0 and had won seven straight gold medals. But along came the Soviet Union to ruin the fun. With just three seconds left in the game, USA was leading 50-49. But that’s when complete bedlam broke out. A referee stopped the clock with just one second left, supposedly owing to a Soviet timeout. This led to a complex series of events which saw the final three seconds of the game being replayed numerous times. Emerging from the mess was the Soviet Union, who won the game 51-50. The debacle was enormously controversial, and Team USA refused to accept their silver medals in protest.

#4: The Fifth Down Game

And speaking of complex game-ending debacles, let’s talk about the infamous Fifth Down. This college football game was played between the Colorado Buffaloes and Missouri Tigers, with Colorado trailing 31-27. Colorado called a timeout with just seconds left in the game. But the crew had forgotten to flip the down marker, and when the next play began, it showed second down instead of the proper third. So when quarterback Charles Johnson spiked the ball on “third” down, it was really fourth down and possession should have gone to Missouri. Instead, Colorado was granted an illegal fifth down, as everyone believed it was fourth down. Johnson ran the ball into the endzone, scoring the winning touchdown that should never have been.

#3: The Hand of God

We return to the World Cup once again, with this infection occurring during the 1986 quarter-final match between Argentina and England. With the game tied 0-0, the ball was kicked towards England’s goalkeeper Peter Shilton and Argentina’s Diego Maradona. Both jumped in the air, and Maradona bumped the ball with his hand. The ball went into the net, and since none of the officials saw him touch the ball, it was ultimately called a goal. It later became known as The Hand of God goal. Maradona later admitted that he indeed touched the ball with his hand.

#2: The Tuck Rule Game

The NFL’s now-defunct tuck rule claimed that “any intentional forward movement of [the] arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body.” Enter New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady, who was tackled by the Raiders’ Charles Woodson during a 2001 playoff game. It was initially ruled a fumble and the Raiders recovered the ball, guaranteeing them the win. But upon further review, officials enacted the Tuck rule, which had been introduced just two years prior and left many people confused. It was then ruled an incomplete pass rather than a fumble and possession was given back to the Patriots, who went on to win the game in overtime.

#1: The Not-So-Perfect Game

Hundreds of thousands of professional baseball games have been played over the last 150 years. As of the time of writing, only 24 of them have been perfect games. It’s an incredibly rare event, and if a pitcher throws one, they immediately enter the annals of baseball history. On June 2, 2010, the Tigers’ Armando Galarraga was just one out away from throwing a perfect game. Galarraga got the last batter out, putting his foot on first base before the runner reached it. However, umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly called him safe, preventing Galarraga’s place in the history books. Joyce later cried and apologized to Galarraga, and he later told The Athletic that the ruling should be overturned so that Galarraga gets awarded a perfect game.

Did we miss any outrageous calls? Let us know in the comments!