“A rematch, in my opinion, should be the result; nevertheless, this is unlikely to occur. Everyone will request them, which is the argument against [a replay], yet this circumstance is so unusual.
Jurgen Klopp said these absurd things on Wednesday as he demanded a rematch of the contentious Premier League match between Liverpool and Tottenham on Saturday.
There is no need to recapitulate what happened over the past four days because everyone reading this post already knows the tale because Liverpool hasn’t stopped complaining about it.
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All that has to be said is that if Liverpool vs. Tottenham needs to be repeated, there are a ton of other infamous games from the past that should come first.
Let’s start with the World Cup, the largest tournament in football, and the elimination rounds, where, unlike 38-game league seasons, there is no second opportunity to recuperate. Your dream is finished if you lose because of a referee call.
How about Diego Maradona’s 1986 goal, “Hand of God”? In a World Cup quarterfinal where the scores are tied at 0-0, Maradona strikes the ball into the goal to give Argentina the advantage. A punch so obvious that even Martians could see it. In the end, England is defeated 2-1.
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Consider Geoff Hurst’s ghost goal in extra time against West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, which tied the score at 2-2. Given that modern technology has demonstrated that the ball did not cross the line, that match must undoubtedly be replayed.
What about the 2002 World Cup theft by South Korea of Italy (and Spain)? Italy’s perfectly legitimate Golden goal against Korea in the round of 16 was erroneously disallowed, becoming their fifth goal in three games to be incorrectly called offside. The co-hosts went on to win the match. We now know that the referee, Byron Moreno, was a highly corrupt person who was sentenced to prison for bringing heroin into the country. Replay the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals.
Replay the France vs. Ireland World Cup qualification match from 2010, when Thierry Henry twice intentionally handled the ball to help William Gallas score the game-winning goal and eliminate the Irish. Or perhaps we can use 33 teams to repeat the complete 2010 World Cup!
Now let’s talk about the Champions League. How about we watch the 2009 second leg of the Chelsea vs. Barcelona Champions League semi-final again? A match in which Tom Henning Ovrebo, the referee, waived aside at least four strong Chelsea penalty appeals before Barcelona scored an injury-time goal to advance to the championship game.
Or the 1986 European Cup semifinal between IFK Gothenburg and Barcelona, in which Barcelona defeated them on penalties after the referee had disallowed three legitimate goals?
Or the second leg of the 1989 European Cup semifinal in which Rudi Vata scored the game-winning goal with his arm in the 83rd minute to advance Benfica and eliminate Marseille?
We could continue forever.
Of course, there is a lengthy record of infamous games in which stunning refereeing decisions favored Liverpool.
What about a rematch of the 2018–19 season’s last Champions League group stage matchup between Napoli and Liverpool at Anfield? Virgil van Dijk nearly broke Dries Mertens’ leg in two with an over-the-ball, studs-up challenge with the score tied at 0-0 in the first half. Van Dijk only received a yellow card despite the obvious red card, while Napoli’s key player had to be replaced due to injury. Liverpool defeated Napoli 1-0 to qualify, and the team later went on to win the entire competition. Liverpool would have played the majority of the game with 10 men and very likely been eliminated had the referee performed his duties correctly.
Consider reliving the Milan final from 2005, when Steven Gerrard undoubtedly dove to get Liverpool a penalty and even the score at 3-3? Consider replaying the penalty shootout in which Jerzy Dudek practically stood on his six-yard box by the time each Milan penalty was taken.
Consider rerunning the 1984 championship game, in which Phil Neal gave Liverpool a 1-0 lead against Roma after the referee failed to call a blatant foul on Franco Tancredi.
There are many controversial games in football. While what happened to Liverpool was disgraceful, other teams have also suffered injustice.
Furthermore, Liverpool has a chance to do better during the next seven months, unlike some of the victims from the past who were named above. Not a lethal blow, either.
Henry controlled the ball, and Ireland won. When Hurst’s goal was permitted, it was for West Germany. When Van Dijk wasn’t ejected, it was for Napoli.
Let’s repeat Liverpool vs. Tottenham, please Jurgen. But while we’re at it, let’s also watch Liverpool vs. Milan in 2005, Liverpool vs. Napoli in 2019, and Liverpool vs. Roma in 1984 again.
