Qatar 2022 countdown: FIFA World Cup controversies II - From the headbutt of Zidane to Suarez’s Hand of God

Leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which begins on November 20, this series will take you through 25 controversies across the previous 21 editions.

FILE PHOTO - Italy’s defender Giorgio Chiellini (L) showing an apparent bitemark while Uruguay forward Luis Suarez (R) holding his teeth after the incident during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Group D match at the Dunas Arena in Natal.

Leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which begins on November 20, this series will take you through 25 controversies across the previous 21 editions.

Suarez bites Chiellini

No other incident invited such great outrage at the 2014 World Cup. In the second half of the decisive Italy-Uruguay group stage match, Luis Suarez bit Giorgio Chiellini’s left shoulder. Why? Well, only Suarez can tell.

It remains tough to understand why the Uruguayan has a penchant for this weird act.

His motivation notwithstanding, Suarez earned a nine-match ban in addition to a FIFA decree that prohibited him from all football activities for four months.

Mexico takes free kick awarded to El Salvador

FILE PHOTO: El Salvador lost 0-4 to Mexico in the first round of the World Cup on June 07, 1970. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

A shocking refereeing error by Ali Kandil during the first-round game between Mexico and El Salvador in 1970 left the Central Americans infuriated.

El Salvador had managed to keep it goalless until 44th minute and was awarded a free-kick deep in its own half.

However, Mexico’s Padilla stepped up to take the kick, crossing for Valdivia to poke home the ball into an open goal.

The El Salvadoreans surrounded Kandil and his linesman, kicking the ball into the crowd and challenging the referee to book or send them off.

Kandil blew for half-time. In the second half, El Salvador continued to kick the ball into the crowd as often as possible, and lost 4-0.

Zidane headbutts Materazzi

FILE PHOTO: French midfielder Zinedine Zidane (left) head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi (right) during the 2006 World Cup 2006 final. | Photo Credit: AFP

Zidane was enjoying the most wonderful of swansongs, guiding France to another World Cup final in 2006. There, too, he gave France the early lead, but Marco Materazzi had something else in mind for the master.

After Italy had equalised, he provoked Zidane with one barb too many. The Frenchman of Algerian origin lost his head in extra-time and head-butted Materazzi with the whole world watching. Zidane was sent off and his Cup dream too came crashing down.

Robben ‘dive’ against Mexico

FILE PHOTO: Rafael Marquez of Mexico reacts after a challenge on Arjen Robben of the Netherlands resulting in a yellow card for Marquez and a penalty kick for the Netherlands during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match at Castelao on June 29, 2014 in Fortaleza, Brazil. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

In the Round of 16 clash of the 2014 World Cup, Mexico had been leading Netherlands 1-0 until the 88th minute when Wesley Sneijder equalised for the men in orange.

However, the defining moment of the match came in injury time when referee Pedro Proenca awarded Netherlands a penalty after a foul on Arjen Robben inside the Mexico box by its captain Rafael Marquez. Jan-Klaas Huntelaar hit home to seal a 2-1 comeback victory for the Dutch.

"I really have to say and at the same time apologise in the first half I took a dive and I really shouldn't do that," Robben told Dutch broadcaster NOS after the match.

"That was a stupid, stupid thing to do but sometimes you're expecting to be struck and then they pull their leg away at the last minute."

But the Dutch striker insisted Proenca was right to point to the penalty spot after he was challenged by Marquez. "I was fouled," he said.

Suarez ‘Hand of God’ against Ghana

Uruguay’s Luis Suarez (R) stops the ball with his hands during the 2010 World Cup quarterfinal match against Ghana at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on July 2, 2010. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan’s penalty miss in the dying seconds of extra time cost the African side a place in the 2010 World Cup semifinals and broke hearts across the continent.

Uruguay’s 4-2 shootout win after a 1-1 draw took it into the last four for the first time in 40 years and stopped Ghana becoming the first African side to reach the semis.

Ghana had taken the lead on the stroke of halftime when Sulley Muntari, restored to the starting lineup after an earlier bust-up with the coach, fired a speculative shot from long range that deceived Uruguay keeper Muslera.

Uruguay equalised 10 minutes into the second half when Forlan struck a wicked swerving free kick over the top of the defence and keeper Richard Kingson.

Late in extra time, Uruguay forward Luis Suarez was sent off after stopping a goal-bound header from Dominic Adiyiah’s with his hands. However, Gyan grazed the top of the crossbar with his penalty kick and then clutched his head in his hands as the opportunity of a lifetime slipped by.

Suarez expressed no regret. “The Hand of God now belongs to me; mine is the real Hand of God,” he said later. “I made the best save of the tournament. Sometimes in training I play as a goalkeeper so it was worth it. Stopping a goal with my hand I believe I did nothing evil, it was just stopping a goal.”