Sports
Graham Poll (AFP Photo / Andrew Yates)
British referee apologizes to Russia for penalty blunder
Published 12 November, 2009, 12:48
British football referee Graham Poll has apologized before the Russian national team for pointing to the spot on the last minute of their match against Slovenia eight years ago.
Back then Russia finished first in Group 1 of the World Cup 2002 qualifiers, and second placed Slovenia were the only team they failed to beat.
The Moscow match was due to finish in a 1-1 draw, but the hosts managed to grab a narrow 2-1 win in Ljubljana thanks to a doubtful penalty courtesy of Graham Poll at the very end.
In an interview with Russia’s Sport-Express newspaper, the British referee confessed that the decision was a mistake. He explained that sometimes it is hard to see all the details during a game.
Poll said he thought the Russian defender was holding the Slovenian striker too tight, which he had several times already warned not to do so, but the replays he saw after the final whistle showed that there were no grounds to allow the penalty.
“I apologize before you,” Poll added.
Russia and Slovenia clash again in a two-leg World Cup playoff, with Game One scheduled for Saturday, November 14, and Game Two for Wednesday, November 18.
Graham Poll became a FIFA referee in 1996 and retired in 2007. He was on the pitch for the UEFA Cup 2004/05 finals, in which CSKA Moscow defeated Sporting Lisbon 3-1.
He is also the man behind one of the greatest referee bloopers in World Cup history. He showed three yellow cards to Croat Josip Simunic before eventually sending him off in the Australia–Croatia clash in 2006.
