'Hand of God' balloon to fetch £2.5million at auction

October 14 - The ball used by Diego Maradona to score his famous 'Hand of God' goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final has been auctioned off by the Tunisian referee who was in charge of the match and who missed the most infamous handball in history.

Graham Budd Auctions says it expects the Adidas ball owned by former referee Ali Bin Nasser to fetch between £2.5million and £3million when it goes on sale in Britain on the 16th November, four days before the World Cup in Qatar. starts.

The shirt worn by Maradona in the same match in Mexico was sold in May for £7.4million.

Argentina won the match 2-1 with Bin Nasser allowing the Argentine opener, which saw Maradona kick the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

The goal became known as the 'Hand of God' after Maradona later claimed it was scored "a bit with Maradona's head and a bit with the hand of God".

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Conversely, his second goal, in which he sensationally dribbled past player after player, was dubbed the goal of the century.

The ball will go on display at Wembley Stadium next month before going to auction, with bidders able to register and bid online in advance.

"This ball is part of the history of international football - now is the right time to share it with the world," bin Nasser said.

"I could not see the incident clearly, the two players Shilton and Maradona were facing me from behind... In accordance with FIFA's instructions issued before the tournament, I asked my linesman to confirm the validity of the goal - he made his way to the halfway line indicating he was satisfied the goal stood.

"At the end of the game, England head coach Bobby Robson said to me, 'You did a good job, but the linesman was irresponsible.'

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