Gary Neville suggests England should be awarded the 1986 World Cup trophy following Senegal’s recent Afcon title revocation due to a successful appeal by Morocco, drawing parallels to the infamous ‘Hand of God’ incident. Picture: Oli SCARFF / AFP
Image: Oli SCARFF / AFP
Gary Neville says that England might as well be awarded the 1986 Fifa World Cup trophy, since Senegal were stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations title so long after the fact, earlier this week.
Neville, of course, was referring to the infamous ‘Hand of God’ incident when Diego Maradona scored the winning goal in the Fifa World Cup quarter-final against England, by hitting the ball into the goal with his hand.
Decades before TV replays or anything close to VAR had an influence on refereeing decisions, the goal stood and Maradona was even bold enough to claim in the aftermath that he had used ‘The Hand of God’, which became one of the most famous lines in football.
On Tuesday, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) stripped Senegal of their Afcon title they claimed on January 18 when they beat hosts Morocco in a controversy-filled contest. Morocco were therefore declared champions after they were credited with a 3-0 win.
“I think England should be announced as the 1986 World Cup winners because of that Maradona handball. Overturn it just like the Afcon final,” said Neville.
The decision by Caf came almost two months after Senegal celebrated their victory as they were crowned champions of Africa.
The outcry has been swift and vocal, after the Fédération of Moroccan Football (FRMF) lodged a complaint with the Caf Appeal Board, which proved to be successful.
The appeal was lodged as Senegal staged a brief walkout during the match after disagreeing with the referee’s decision to award a penalty. Even though the Senegal players did return to the pitch after the contentious decision and went on to win the match, the walkout effectively cost them the title.