Camila Vega
We know you are enjoying the Qatar 2022 World Cup, but how much do you know about past World Cups? This time we tell you about the biggest World Cup scandals in history. These are events on and off the field during the World Cup that marked the course of action of many teams and players.
Find out here about two key facts about Diego Maradona and others about Luis Suárez, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario. Keep reading to find it out!
The Biggest Scandals of Soccer World Cups
Diego Maradona’s Expulsion
To begin with, we have Diego Maradona’s historic expulsion from the 1994 World Cup in the United States. After the match against Greece, the Argentine star was taken for a doping test that was positive for ephedrine. As a result, FIFA immediately withdrew him from the World Cup and his career with the Albiceleste national team came to an end.
Maradona’s doping is considered one of the biggest scandals in the history of the World Cup, as he was one of the most loved and respected players globally and, as he himself said, “they cut off his legs”.
Luis Suárez’s Bite
In second place we have the bite of Uruguayan Luis Suárez to Italian Giurgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. This player had bitten other teammates on previous occasions, the first time was to Otman Bakkal in 2010 playing for Ajax, and the second time playing for Liverpool to Branislav Ivanovic, an action for which he was suspended for ten dates.
At the Brazil 2014 World Cup, Suárez bit Chiellini on the back in the furor of the moment and was consequently also suspended for four months with Barcelona.
Header by Zinedine Zidane
In the 2006 World Cup final in Germany, France’s Zinedine Zidane was at the center of a scandal when he headbutted Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the chest. Zidane’s motive for hitting his opponent was not initially known, but he later commented that the Italian insulted his sister and that he was going through a difficult family situation.
This led to their immediate expulsion from the match and, eventually, they lost the World Cup in a penalty shootout.
Ronaldo Nazario’s Seizure
Ronaldo Nazario‘s performance at the 1998 World Cup in France has been one of the most commented dramas in World Cups. It is known that approximately six hours before the final against France, he had health complications at the hotel that led him to convulse.
He played in the final, which they lost, but mentioned that he felt it was a duty he had to his country and that it may have been generated by stress.
The hand of God
Finally, we cannot leave out the greatest and best-known goal in the history of soccer, as well as one of the most controversial World Cup goals that is still being talked about today. It is the Hand of God, Diego Maradona’s goal against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Despite this marvel, it is debated whether it was a goal that should have been disallowed. In short, this definition marked the history of soccer and immortalized forever a player who gave his life to the sport.
