Four decades have passed since Diego Maradona punched Argentina into the World Cup semi-finals. The 1986 quarter-final between Argentina and England at the Azteca Stadium remains one of the most contested moments in sporting history. Maradona’s first goal, punched past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, was immediately controversial. The referee, Ali Bin Nasser of Tunisia, allowed the goal. He later admitted he had not seen the handball.
This week, as the goal marks its 40th anniversary, attention has turned to the British officials who were not in position to make the call. The linesman, Bulgarian Bogdan Dochev, did not raise his flag. The fourth official, West Germany’s Volker Roth, had no role in the decision. Yet the blame has often fallen on the referee. Bin Nasser, now 81, has faced decades of criticism. In a recent interview, he said: “I was 100 per cent sure it was a goal. I saw Maradona’s body, but I did not see his hand. If I had seen it, I would have disallowed it.”
The incident has been used as a case study for the introduction of technology. The current Video Assistant Referee system would almost certainly have caught the handball. But in 1986, the referee’s decision was final. The recrimination has clouded what was also a remarkable goal. Maradona’s second, a dribble past five English players, is widely regarded as the greatest World Cup goal ever scored. Argentina won 2-1 and went on to lift the trophy.
The British focus has often been on injustice. But there is also a story of institutional failure. The Football Association did not raise an official complaint after the match. The referee has said he received death threats. The English players, including Gary Lineker, have since said they made mistakes. Lineker, who scored England’s goal, said: “We should have defended better. It wasn’t the referee’s fault.”
The legacy of the goal is more nuanced than simple cheating. Maradona himself called it “the hand of God”. For Argentina, it was a moment of cunning in the context of the Falklands War. For England, it remains a symbol of lost control. The referee, Bin Nasser, has become the scapegoat. But the deeper question is about the limits of human officiating. The goal changed the game. It accelerated the move toward technological oversight. Yet it also remains a reminder that sport is fallible.
This week, Fifa did not issue a statement. But the anniversary has revived debate about the role of referees in high-stakes matches. For the British public, the goal is a scar. For the rest of the world, it is a story of cynical genius. The referee, Bin Nasser, has spent 40 years defending his integrity. He said: “I did not cheat. I made a decision. It was wrong. But it was honest.”
The hand of God goal will always be disputed. But the institutional failure was not just the referee’s. It was the lack of a system to correct him. Four decades on, football has that system. But the memory of that afternoon in Mexico City will never be corrected.
