Q: What does it mean when soccer fans refer to the
”
hand of God
”
incident?
Q: What does it mean when soccer fans refer to the “hand of God” incident?
A: It was the quarterfinal of the World Cup, England against Argentina, on June 22, 1986. It was the countries’ first meeting on a soccer field since the Falklands War four years earlier. There were fights among some of the 114,580 spectators in Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium but no incidents on the field.
Five minutes into the scoreless second half, Diego Maradona of Argentina attempted to play the ball into the penalty area, but English midfielder Steve Hodge beat him to the ball and looped it back toward goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
In a flash, Maradona caught up to the pass, arriving at the ball just as Shilton did. Maradona leaped and appeared to knock the ball into the net with the back of his left hand rather than with his head. Television replays confirmed it.
Despite howls of protest from the British – particularly Shilton – Tunisian referee Ali Bennaceur let it stand. Maradona would never say his hand had touched the ball. “The hand of God” sent it into the net, he said.
Four minutes later, Maradona scored a second goal. England could manage only one goal and lost 2-1. England’s soccer fans still hold a grudge against Maradona and Argentina’s soccer team, and whenever they have played each other since, the “hand of God” incident inevitably comes up.
Source: Bruce Lowitt of the St. Petersburg Times
– By Kelly Savio, Staff Writer
