16 Days to Go – The Ref can’t Count

English referee Graham Poll was already known for his spotty record as an official at international soccer tournaments by the time he headed to Germany to help officiate the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He had previously been the referee of record during controversial games at both the Euro 2000 competition and the 2002 FIFA World Cup where he disallowed two perfectly valid Italian goals to see them go down 2-1 to Croatia in a shock upset.

But many consider the game between Australia and Croatia to be Poll’s worst hour. In order to keep advancing through the tournament the European side had to beat the upstart Socceroos. During the game Poll apparently forgot not only the basic rules of soccer but how to perform basic math calculations as well.

In a move that stunned fans and commentators alike Poll booked Croatian defender Josip Simunic three times before finally figuring out his error and sending him off. Somehow amid the chaos the Australians held on for a 2-2 draw and advanced into the knock out rounds themselves.

After the game a furious FIFA president Sepp Blatter stated that had Croatia won the game he would have in all likelihood ordered a replay because of Poll’s error. Poll himself retired from tournament refereeing of any kind after that match but did continue to officiate in regular English Premier League matches. He is now a TV and radio soccer pundit in England appearing on numerous different soccer shows but he is still best known for his 2006 World Cup blunder.