Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal against England in the 1986 World Cup remains controversial 40 years later, and Argentine fans have refused to apologize.
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This is one of the most controversial events in world football history.
It has been 40 years since the incident. But Argentine fans are still not in favor of apologizing for Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God'. Instead, some consider it clever and some say that winning is everything in football.
The day was June 22, 1986. Mexico's famous Estadio Azteca Stadium. The match was between Argentina and England in the quarterfinals of that World Cup. There was widespread political tension in the background of the match. Because these two countries had only fought the Falklands War in 1982. Maradona scored two goals in this match. They were goals of completely opposite styles.
This same Maradona passed away on November 20, 2020. For the first goal, Maradona ran into the England box, jumped with English goalkeeper Peter Shilton and directed the ball into the post with the help of his hand. Despite the protests and surprise of the English players, the goal stood. Millions watching the match on television around the world could not believe that the goal had been recognized.
Four minutes later, Maradona ran half the field, single-handedly carried the ball forward, and scored a goal after eluding six English players one after the other. It is also called the goal of the century. Maradona later scored two more goals against Belgium in the semi-finals. In the final, Argentina defeated the then West Germany 3-2 to win the title.
In the post-match conference held after the game, Maradona called the goal the 'Hand of God'. This term later became part of the legend of world football. Neither Maradona nor Argentina have apologized for the goal. For this reason, the anger of the English players and fans has not subsided. Even after 40 years, Argentine fans are not in favor of an apology.
During the match against Austria in Texas, a fan said, “I don’t want to talk about the Hand of God. I’m just focused on the second goal. It’s the best goal of the World Cup so far.”
Eccles, a fan, believes Maradona’s first goal was scored by foul play. The 52-year-old added, “Maradona is that kind of player, his goal was foul play.”
The fan watched the match at home on television. He added, “The media was talking about the goal, so everyone knows about it. I think we should all focus on the second goal.”
Another fan, Ozil Arndt, was also present at the match against Austria. He also watched Maradona’s match on television at the time. He says, “Everyone says, all’s fair in love and war. It’s the same in football. There was foul play in that game, of course. But a win is a win.”
Similarly, 20-year-old Roman Castells, a supporter, was not born when the goal was scored. But he knows everything about it. He considers the goal controversial. He says, ‘Now football has come under pressure, such an incident will never happen again.’
He added, ‘You could say that goal was truly unique. Now pressure has come under pressure, so time is of the essence. I think both of Maradona’s goals are great in themselves. We consider Maradona as a god. He will always be a god to us. So that goal is from the hands of a god.’
