Gottfried Dienst 1998 Deaths

Gottfried Dienst

soccer referee who awarded England a controversial goal in its 1966 World Cup victory over Germany; Dienst awarded the goal after English linesmen protested, but advanced replay since then shows the ball not completely crossing the goal line; the term "Wembley goal" is still used to describe a ball that hits the underside of the crossbar and ricochets down to the goal line, which is what happened in the 11th minute of overtime in 1966, giving England a 3-2 lead which it would extend to a 4-2 victory; Dienst told an interviewer in 1989 that strangers still ask him almost daily about the call; of natural causes