The Biggest Controversies in the History of the Champions League Final

Every football fan has probably felt robbed by referees at least once in their lives. Some, even make a career out of moaning about refereeing decisions from 20 years ago. And even though I think that refereeing mistakes are part and parcel of football, I can’t help but wonder how the all-time Champions League standings would look like if history had gone a bit different.

Doing an exhaustive alternate history timeline of the Champions League would be, well exhausting so what I want to do now is take you on a trip through the annals of Europe’s most prestigious competition taking a look at every controversy surrounding a European Cup or Champions League final I could find.

Our first controversial final throws up a familiar name in the circles of refereeing controversies, namely Real Madrid. The legendary team of Alfredo Di Stefano and Paco Gento were looking to defend their first-ever title in the 1957 European Cup Final.

On this day 66 years ago, Cândido de Oliveira passed away in Stockholm at the age of 61.Today, @HE_Ftbl takes a deep look at the legacy of Cândido de Oliveira -- the "James Bond of Portuguese football."https://t.co/751TMD6rOfpic.twitter.com/EQa1iDtrjV— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) June 23, 2024