Ali Ben Nasser
Ali Bin Nasser, also spelled Ali Bennaceur, is a Tunisian former football referee born on March 2, 1944. He is best known for refereeing the Argentina vs England match in the 1986 World Cup, where Diego Maradona scored both the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.
Nasser says he did not see a handball and thought Maradona headed the ball. He and his Bulgarian assistant, Bogdan Dochev, blamed each other for the missed handball. Nasser says he waited for a signal from Dochev, and since none came, he ruled the goal valid. TV footage appears to show him looking to Dochev after the goal. Dochev claimed that assistants could not discuss calls with the referee during a match, so the decision was final, and he blamed Nasser’s inexperience at the World Cup.
During the 1986 finals, Nasser was the first official in the Poland vs Portugal group match and an assistant in three other games, including Denmark vs Spain in the Round of 16. He never officiated another World Cup match after 1986.
On August 17, 2015, Maradona visited Nasser in Tunisia, gave him an Argentine jersey with his signature, and called him his eternal friend.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:24 (CET).