Top 10 Most Controversial Moments in Euros History Including Coin Toss Winner

Aside from the FIFA World Cup, it can be argued that no international football competition is as entertaining as the European Championships.

Known as the Euros for short, the competition is one of the most prestigious in the world, as nations from Europe battle for the top honours.

Despite the Euros coming nearly 30 years after the first World Cup, the competition still has some interesting memories etched in fans’ minds.

These recollections are not always positive, though, and Sports Brief has examined the most controversial moments in the competition over the years.

10 most controversial moments from Euros

Euro 2004: Match-fixing allegations

One of the most controversial matches in Euro history was between Sweden and Denmark in 2004.

At the time, Italy needed to win and also needed the concurrent game to produce a winner or a draw of 1-1 at most for them to proceed.

The Azzurri did their part by seeing off Bulgaria 2-1, but Sweden against Denmark played to a 2-2 draw, knocking out the Italians.

While there is no proof that the Swedes and Danes deliberately played out a high-scoring draw to knock out Italy, it remains one of the most talked-about games in the history of the Euros.

Euro 2008: Extra-extra time

Another controversial moment came in 2008, during the quarter-final match between Turkey and Croatia.

The Vatreni scored a late goal in extra time to put themselves on course for a victory, but the Crescent Stars scored an even later goal to force the game to penalties.

Turkey won the shootout to advance to the semis, but there was a huge debate on whether their goal should have been allowed to stand, especially because it was scored long after the final whistle should have been blown.

Euro 1988: Ronald Koeman’s controversial celebration

In the 1980s, the rivalry between the Germans and the Dutch had reached a fever pitch.

The Netherlands atoned for the heartbreak of losing to West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final by knocking their rivals out in the 1988 Euros semi-finals with a 2-1 victory.

Ronald Koeman scored the equaliser in that match as Marco van Basten completed the comeback with an 88th-minute winner.

At full-time, Koeman swapped shirts with West Germany, then pretended to wipe his backside with the shirt in front of the travelling fans.

That image alone has been etched in fans’ memories and remains one of the most infamous moments in Euro history.

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Euro 2000: Portuguese handball

Nothing is as cliché as football fans blaming the referee for their team’s shortcomings in a competition.

In the 2000 semi-finals of the competition between France and Portugal, referee Guenter Benko awarded Les Bleus a penalty in extra time with just three minutes left on the clock.

The incident stemmed from Portuguese defender, Abel Xavier, blocking a would-be goal with his hand. Zidane scored the resulting penalty, sending France to the final and leaving the Selecao with deep wounds.

Euro 1968: Italy, Soviet Union's coin toss

In the 1960s, the Euros had a far different look to what fans know and love today. There were only four teams, no subs were permitted, and games were not settled through penalty shootouts, according to UEFA.

In the semi-finals, when Italy battled it out with the Soviet Union in a match that ended in a draw, the tie was ultimately decided through a coin toss.

Inter Milan defender and Italy captain, Giacinto Facchetti, proved to be the lucky charm as he correctly guessed tails, sending his side to the Euro final.

Euro 1996: England 'cheat' Spain

Remember the Champions League game involving Chelsea and Barcelona, which Didier Drogba labelled a disgrace? The Spain against England clash in 1996 was much worse.

The Spaniards found the net twice, but both goals were ruled out. What’s worse is that they had three clear penalty appeals waved away in arguably the most frustrating and controversial refereeing decisions against the Spaniards of all time.

Euro 2012: Spain score 'offside' winner

The Spaniards are not saints either, as they had 'luck' on their side during Euro 2012 when they were at the peak of their powers.

Coming from a World Cup triumph, La Roja were looking to defend their Euro title and came up against Croatia in a Group C encounter.

Controversy started in the 88th minute when Andreas Iniesta received a pass while appearing to be in an offside position. He calmly fed Jesus Navas, who passed the ball into an empty net for the goal.

Replays showed Iniesta was offside by the finest of margins, but the goal was allowed to stand, leaving Croatia's coach, Slaven Bilic, and his players incensed.

Euro 2012: Mario Balotelli battles racism

Still, at Euro 2012, there was more controversy to come, albeit regarding a more dire issue in football: racism.

Mario Balotelli, then a young striker in his prime, endured disgusting abuse from Croatia fans, who went to the lengths of throwing a banana onto the pitch.

The matter was investigated extensively by UEFA, and the Croatian Football Federation was fined €80,000 (£62,800) for their fans’ misconduct.

Euro 1968: Brutality of England vs Yugoslavia

The Three Lions faced Yugoslavia in 1968 in one of the most brutal games in the history of the Euros.

According to The Independent, it all kicked off in the third minute after Dobrivoje Trivic challenged England's Alan Ball, leaving the midfielder with a conspicuous bruise from his toes to heel.

A Three Lions player responded immediately, exerting revenge on Yugoslavia playmaker, Ivica Osim, with a challenge that put him out of action for several months.

England lost the game 1-0 and ended the game with 10 men as Alan Mullery was dismissed for violent conduct.

Euro 2016: Hooliganism

The 2016 Euros was marred by mass cases of hooliganism, particularly from England fans.

During one incident in Marseille, a group of Russian fans charged at Three Lions supporters, with iron bars and hammers said to be involved.

36 years earlier, in 1980, there was a similar incident, and it also involved England fans.

Before The Three Lions’ opening game against Belgium, supporters were involved in violent clashes with police in a chain of unfortunate events that led to a five-minute suspension of play.

How underdogs performed in past Euro tournaments

Headlining the list are Turkey and Russia, who made it to the semi-final of the 2008 Euros despite being ranked 15th and 16th, respectively.

Turkey lost 2-0 to Portugal, while Russia suffered a crushing 4-1 loss to eventual champions Spain.