HISTORY! Linesman, Bogdan Who Failed To Spot Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand Of God’ Goal Against England Dies At 80

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Bogdan Dochev, the assistant referee who failed to detect Diego Maradona's infamous 'hand of God' during the 1986 World Cup between Argentina and England, died at age 80.

In the exciting quarter-final won 2-1 by Argentina, Maradona produced two of the most talked about goals in football history. After tricking officials with his first handball effort, he dribbled past five England players in a brilliant solo effort.

After the handball, television footage showed Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser running slowly towards the center of the field and looking at Dochev. The Bulgarian, however, did not shake his flag remained absolutely motionless.

"Although I immediately felt that there was something irregular, at that time FIFA did not allow the audience to discuss the decisions with the referee," Dochev told the Bulgarian media a few years ago.

"If FIFA had put a European referee in charge of such an important match, Maradona's first goal would have been rejected."

But Bin Nassir had a different opinion and said: "I was waiting for Dochev to give me a clue as to what exactly happened, but did not indicate a handball.

"The instructions given us by FIFA before the game were clear: if a colleague was in a better position than mine, he should respect his point of view."


Dochev, who has been covered twice by Bulgaria as a player, blamed Maradona for ruining his career as a referee and his life.

"Diego Maradona ruined my life," he said. He is a brilliant footballer, but a small man. He is low in height and as a person too.

Dochev, Bulgaria's top referee in the 1970s and 1980s, also officiated at the 1982 World Cup, as well as dozens of European competitions, including the first stage of the 1983 UEFA Cup between Belgian Anderlecht and Portuguese Benfica.