Erik Fredriksson

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For the Swedish tug of war competitor and Olympic gold medalist see Erik Algot Fredriksson.

Erik Fredriksson (born February 13, 1943) is a former Swedish football referee. He officiated four World Cup games: Yugoslavia v Northern Ireland in 1982; Italy v Bulgaria (the tournament opening match) and USSR v Belgium in 1986; and Argentina v USSR in 1990.

Fredriksson's handling of the latter match caused controversy due to his failure to see Diego Maradona punching a goal-bound Soviet header off the line when the score was still goalless. The USSR eventually lost the game 2-0, and were so incensed at Fredriksson's refereeing that they made a formal protest to FIFA in Rome the following day.

Fredriksson also refereed the Euro 84 first-round tie between Belgium and Yugoslavia in Lens.

[edit] References

• Profile
• New York Times report, June 16, 1990