User:Asoccer maniac/List of 1998 FIFA World Cup controversies (backup)

Here are some of the controversies from the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Mexico v Belgium
Hugh Dallas sent off Pavel Pardo and Gert Verheyen during the match, decisions which divided opinion. Martin O'Neill and Alan Hansen criticised Dallas, but Trevor Steven thought he performed well. Dallas was also the referee for the quarter final match between Italy and France. More than a decade later, Dallas admitted to surprise and disappointment at being overlooked for the later stages of the competition.

Norway v Brazil
Norway scored a late penalty against Brazil, won through a questionable foul by Junior Baiano. As a result, Morocco - who beat Scotland 3-0, were eliminated, a circumstance many saw as controversial.

Cameroon v Chile
The refereeing of the match was criticised as decsions seemed to favour Chile.

England v Argentina
Beckham was sent off by Nielsen for retaliation to a harsh foul by Simeone. Simeone later admitted to simulating for the referee,  and another opponent would accuse him of diving in a later match in the same tournament. Owen also dove to win a penalty converted by Shearer. England also had another goal disallowed.

Netherlands v Yugoslavia
Bergkamp was seen stomping on an opponent in an incident that went unnoticed by the officials. Further action was not taken.

Netherlands v Argentina
Dutch defender Numan accused Simeone of diving to influence the referee to produce the two yellow cards that led to his dismissal. This was the second match Simeone had been (accused of being) involved in such an incident; with it occurring in the previous match as well. Later Ortega butted Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar (in confrontation over the former's play-acting attempt to draw a penalty ), who went down theatrically. Ortega was sent off for this.

France v Croatia
Laurent Blanc was sent off after a skirmish with Croatia's Slaven Bilić. Bilić had sunk down to his knees, seemingly in pain. Replays showed, however, that there was minimal contact between the players. Blanc's expulsion meant he would miss the final.

Final
Ronaldo played in the final despite having suffered a seizure just hours earlier. Three starting lineups were issued, one without and two with the striker.

Discipline
Zidane was sent off (a straight red) for stomping Khamis al Owairan in the match against Saudi Arabia. This game was one of two matches in the competition with more than a red card; Holland/Agentina was the other.