Maradona ‘Hand of God’ referee defends infamous decision

Perhaps you have no idea what Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal is referring to, but chances are, you’ve at least heard of it. If not, let me give you a quick rundown.

Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona was playing in the World Cup quarterfinals against England in 1986. He scored a goal that gave Argentina a 1-0 lead over England and they eventually won it 2-1. However, that goal was controversial because Maradona’s fist touched the ball (illegal by soccer rules), but without the technology to review it, the goal stood. The position the players were in could have led to the goal being ruled offside, but since the ball came off an English player, Maradona in fact still onside. The ball came down over Maradona and goalie Peter Shilton, who jumped towards it with his right hand just as Maradona did the same, with his left arm out, which is how his fist ended up touching the ball. Have a look:

After the game, Maradona was asked about whether or not it truly was an illegal goal, and he said he scored that goal “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”. Thus the name was born and stuck.

The referee at the time was Ali Bill Nasser, from Tunisia. He was asked about the infamous goal and his decision to call it as such. He defended the call, explaining that he simply followed the instructions given by FIFA at the time.

“[FIFA] gave us, the officials, clear instructions before the tournament started and before the actual game,” said Nasser. “They said if your colleague is in better position and has a better picture of the action than you, you’re going to have to take his opinion.”

The Bulgarian linesman, Bogdan Dochev, was the linesman who had the better view. Nasser turned to him and he had moved to the halfway line, meaning he had interpreted the goal as valid. Dochev passed away five years ago, but admitted he thought something was off about the goal. As FIFA protocols didn’t permit assistants to discuss their thoughts with the refs, the call stood.

“Just to let you know, I dominated the game after that,” said Nasser. “I made no mistakes whatsoever. And I did a great job finishing the rest of the game.”