List of 1998 FIFA World Cup controversies

Here are some of the controversies from the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

## Refereeing

### Mexico v Belgium

Hugh Dallas sent off Pavel Pardo and Gert Verheyen during the match, decisions which divided opinion. Martin O'Neill and Alan Hansen criticised Dallas, but Trevor Steven thought he performed well. Dallas was also the referee for the quarter final match between Italy and France. More than a decade later, Dallas admitted to surprise and disappointment at being overlooked for the later stages of the competition.

### Norway v Brazil

Norway scored a late penalty against Brazil, won through a questionable foul by Junior Baiano. As a result, Morocco - who beat Scotland 3-0, were eliminated, a circumstance many saw as controversial.

### Cameroon v Chile

The refereeing of the match was criticised as decisions seemed to favour Chile.

### England v Argentina

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Beckham was sent off by  Nielsen for retaliation to a harsh foul by Simeone. Simeone later admitted to simulating for the referee, and another opponent would accuse him of diving in a later match in the same tournament. Owen also dove to win a penalty converted by Shearer. England also had another goal disallowed.

### Netherlands v Yugoslavia

Bergkamp was seen stomping on an opponent in an incident that went unnoticed by the officials. Further action was not taken.

### Netherlands v Argentina

Dutch defender Numan accused Simeone of diving to influence the referee to produce the two yellow cards that led to his dismissal. This was the second match Simeone had been (accused of being) involved in such an incident; with it occurring in the previous match as well. Later Ortega butted Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar (in confrontation over the former's play-acting attempt to draw a penalty), who went down theatrically. Ortega was sent off for this.

### France v Croatia

Laurent Blanc was sent off after a skirmish with Croatia's Slaven Bilić. Bilić had sunk down to his knees, seemingly in pain. Replays showed, however, that there was minimal contact between the players. Blanc's expulsion meant he would miss the final.

## Final

Template:Main Ronaldo played in the final despite having suffered a seizure just hours earlier. Three starting lineups were issued, one without and two with the striker.

## Discipline

Template:Main Zidane was sent off (a straight red) for stomping Khamis al Owairan in the match against Saudi Arabia. This game was one of few matches in the competition with more than a red card; Holland/Argentina, S Africa/Denmark (three) and Mexico/Belgium were the others.

Bergkamp went unpunished for severe foul play (see above).

## References

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1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Template:Cite news
2. ↑ Template:Cite news
3. ↑ Template:Cite news
4. ↑ Template:Cite news
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Referee's Call Has Brazil Reeling After The Call, Norway Converted A Penalty Kick To Upset The Defending Champion, 2-1.
6. ↑ WORLD CUP '98; As Refs Get Tougher, Everyone Else Gets Angrier. New York Times.
7. ↑ Morocco's unlucky summer in France: The 1998 World Cup
8. ↑ WORLD CUP '98; A Disputed Call Helps Chile End Frustration, New York Times. By JERE LONGMAN
9. ↑ Cameroon Official Calls Cup 'Festival of Scandal'. Los Angeles Times, June 25, 1998
10. ↑ http://ussoccernumbers.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/cameroon-1998-a-profile/ Cameroon 1998: A ProfileJune 26, 2009 Michael Blauvelt
11. ↑ "Football World Cup 2002: I'd take a dive again to beat England..to lose would be unthinkable; WORLD CUP GROUP F: ENGLAND v ARGENTINA, SAPPORO, KICK-OFF 12.30PM DIRTY DIEGO HAS NO REGRETS.." The Free Library. 2002 MGN LTD 13 Jan. 2016 <a href="http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Football+World+Cup+2002%3a+I%27d+take+a+dive+again+to+beat+England..to...-a086859851</a>
12. ↑ Simeone public enemy No.1 in England.Template:Dead link Google cache, Sports Illustrated. Archive @ WayBack Machine, accessed 13 Jan 2015. Posted: Wednesday March 03, 1999 01:03 PM
13. ↑ Flop, fall, dive: Theatrics to expect during the World Cup
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 The 10......best football dives. Sunday 2 November 2003, Observer Sport Monthly.
15. ↑ Worst Soccer Dives and Flops in World Cup History. By Brad June 12, 2014
16. ↑ 'I am guilty too': Owen enters diving debate with double World Cup confession. By Darren Lewis, Oct 10, 2012 19:27.
17. ↑ Your A to Z Brazil 2014 World Cup guide The definitive list of Football World Cup moments. (Q: The Queen.) Last updated 15:23 12/06/2014, Stuff.co.nz.
18. ↑ Dennis Bergkamp's genius fired Holland past Argentina in the 1998 World Cup... will we see anything like it in Sao Paulo? By Rob Draper, Mail Online. Published: 22:01 GMT, 8 July 2014 | Updated: 08:51 GMT, 9 July 2014.
19. ↑ Dillon, John. "Cheats Are Plague of World Cup; Says Rangers' Arthur Numan." The Mirror (London, England). MGN Ltd. 1998. HighBeam Research. 25 Aug. 2014 <http://www.highbeam.com>.
20. ↑ Barnes, David. "Brilliant Bergkamp Gives Argies the Boot; Holland 2 Argentina 1." Sunday Mirror (London, England). 1998. HighBeam Research. (August 25, 2014). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60647125.html
21. ↑ WORLD CUP FEVER - July 4.
22. ↑ France 1998. Sport24, 2010-05-05 12:12.
23. ↑ Top 100 World Cup Moments (From the Aussie P.O.V.): 49-Bergkamp Brilliance Wins Holland The Battle of Marseilles (1998), by Dennis Gedling. The Footy Almanac, April 27, 2014.
24. ↑ Football: The mysterious shadow of the Ronaldo affair. The Independent. David Smith, Friday 07 August 1998.