Tofik Bakhramov. This man is well-known in the country considered to be the home of the most loved game in the world - football. The 1966 World Cup has gone down in English football chronicles as its one and only victory in the competition. Meanwhile, most English football fans realize that this victory was a gift of the Russian referee.
The goal awarded to England during the 1966 World Cup Final against the German team still seems to be the most controversial and scandalous moment in the contemporary history of football. With the score at 2-2, and after 11 minutes of the first period of extra time, Geoff Hurst of England fired a shot on goal which bounced off the crossbar sharply downwards, and then bounced back in the field, away from the goal. But neither modern TV engineering nor flight path
recreation of that famous Hurst shot have produced an unambiguous answer. This means that the only person in the entire Universe to see the ball crossing the German goal line was Tofig Brakhmanov.
At the moment the ball hit the wood, English fans victoriously raised their hands. There were some moments of indecision by referee Gottfried Dienst before he noticed that Bakhramov, who was the linesman at that end of the ground, was signalling to him. Probably Brakhmanov really "saw the ball crossing the goal line" from the place he was standing. Or perhaps, being a man of the Caucasus, he just couldn't disappoint the fans of the host country's team, among whom was the Queen. The game continued for a while, and right before the final whistle Hurst scored his third goal in this match. England won the game 4-2 and Brakhmanov became a national hero of Foggy Albion. Frankly speaking, England never denied the fact that Brakmanov's decision was a significant part of their victory. Accidently or not, he was presented with a golden whistle by Queen Elizabeth II for his "services to England".
Later, Geoff Hurst wrote in his memoir that he could not clearly state that the ball crossed the goal line in that game. After the "Russian referee" passed away, he presented a shirt to his son with lettering reading "Many Thanks" in Azerbaijani.
Georgii Saralidze. Exclusively for VK.
