The Day the Players Disappeared
The Day the Players Disappeared There have been some shocking refereeing decisions in the past few years. Whether it be the referee sending off the wrong man, ghost goals being allowed, or leg-breaking defenders getting away with a warning, the man in black is often prone to an absolute howler. However, way back in 1945, one referee’s decision led to perhaps the most farcical match of football ever played. Dynamo Moscow were due to play Arsenal in a match that would end the Soviet champions highly successful tour of Britain, in which they had thrashed Cardiff 10-1 and put on a very entertaining display against Chelsea in front of nearly 100,000 spectators, the match finishing 3-3. But the centrepiece of the tour was the highly anticipated math versus Arsenal, to be played at White Hart Lane after Arsenal’s usual home, Highbury, was yet to be converted back into a football stadium after being used as an air-raid control centre during the war. Dynamo coach Mikhail Yakushin even said...