What the Referee Didn't See

In addition to the controversies there are the humourous, even surreal moments in the game. But football is a competitive and combative sport, which also occasionally throws up some ugly stuff.

Referees come in for a lot of criticism and from all corners but their role is as much to protect the players as to protect the game. A human referee can never serve as the 'all-seeing eye' but video technology can.

Even back in 1982 the technology was sufficiently developed to pick up this 'collision' involving German keeper Harald Schumacher and French defender Patrick Battiston. The occasion was the World Cup semi-final between France and West Germany and Battiston had picked up a through-ball from Michel Platini but shot wide. Schumacher was running out of his goal to 'defend':

Battiston was knocked unconscious, and later slipped into a coma. He also lost his two front teeth and had a damaged vertebra. He received oxygen on the pitch. Michel Platini later said that he thought that Battiston had died, because "he had no pulse and looked pale". - source: Wikipedia

West Germany went on to win this encounter by the way. They met Italy in the Final where they lost 3-1.