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After France scored, one of the Kuwaiti players complained to Soviet referee Miroslav Stupar that prior to the goal he’d heard a play-stopping whistle. When Prince Fahid walked out onto the field to argue the point with the referee and threatened to pull out his team, Stupar reversed his goal decision. France ended up winning the match anyway, 4–1. For their actions, Stupar was suspended and Fahid fined.

Quickies

Did you know …

that Colombian player Andreas Escobar was shot dead by an angry fan after he scored an own goal that was part of his team’s collapse that saw them eliminated in the first round of the 1994 World Cup?

What did Brazilian player Ronaldino donate to charity during World Cup 2006?

Two locks of his hair. They were donated for an auction organized by a Swiss newspaper to raise funds for a cancer charity. The hair was collected by a team of Swiss barbers in the Brazilian camp in Switzerland before the start of the finals.

Who were “The Elephants”?

Ivory Coast’s team — nicknamed “The Elephants” — created their own “elephant dance” and practised the steps in training sessions before each match of the 2006 World Cup, hoping to dance before cheering fans to celebrate a winning goal. They lost their first two group matches, but the world had the chance to watch them dance on June 21, 2006, when they defeated Serbia and Montenegro 3–2.