The biggest cheats in sport

All of Ireland is up in arms about the referee missing Thierry Henry's hand-ball which helped France prevail in their World Cup play-off on Wednesday.

Here's look at ten other (in)famous occasions of unsportsmanlike behaviour at its worst:

1. The 'hand of God' goal - Diego Maradona
Just ask any England soccer fan about the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal in Mexico, and the first goal by Argentina's Diego Maradona will come up. Just after halftime the ball drifted in the air toward the Argentine inside the England penalty area. With England goalkeeper Peter Shilton advancing off his line to punch the ball clear, Maradona jumped, but realised the ball was too high to reach legally with his head. So he raised a helping hand and deflected the ball over Shilton's head and into the net. Asked afterward if he had touched the ball, Maradona said it had been guided by "the hand of God".
In an incredible footnote, Maradona scored a second goal in that match, where he dribbled past six England players then beat the keeper. This goal was voted the "goal of the century" by sportswriters in 2002.

2. Running on empty - Rosie Ruiz
Cuban-American New Yorker Rosie Ruiz decided it was easier to run one mile, than to run 26. So in the 1980 Boston Marathon, Ruiz sensationally skipped the first 25 miles of the race and became the most infamous cheater in running history. Not even breaking a sweat as she crossed the finishing line, and a complete unknown in distance-running circles, Ruiz was immediately challenged in the post-race press conference. She insisted she had run the race fair and square, but was disqualified a few days later based on evidence from television cameras and other competitors.

3. "He pushed me, ref!" – Andy Haden
In the dying minutes of a rugby Test against Wales at Cardiff Arms Park in 1978, the All Blacks were down 12-10. A lineout formed just outside the Welsh 22 metre line. As the ball was tossed in, Haden suddenly fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, as if pushed. The ref bought his "Hollywood", and from the subsequent penalty* Brian McKechnie landed the 3-point penalty goal to give New Zealand the match, and keep the AB's undefeated streak against Wales going. Which is still going to this day, by the way.

4. Underam problem – Greg Chappell
It's hard to believe that Southland's Brian McKechnie not only acheieved the rare feat of being a double international – rugby and cricket – but that he also played a central role in two of the unsportsmanlike acts on our list.
In February 1981, New Zealand were playing Australia in a One Day International cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The match was so close that it came down to the very final ball of the NZ innings, with six suns required to tie the match. In a decision he would come to regret for the rest of his life, Australian skipper Greg Chappell instructed the bowler, his brother Trevor, to deliver the last ball to McKechnie underarm, along the ground. This action was technically legal, but indubitably unsportsmanlike in character. It set off a tirade of indignant rage across New Zealand – prime minister Rob Muldoon quipped at the time, "how appropriate that the Australian team wears yellow". The event is still regularly quoted to this day whenever kiwis want to get one up over their trans-tasman neighbours!

5. Rival kneecapped – Tonya Harding
In the early 90s, two young women were clearly at the forefront of figure skating in the United States. Nancy Kerrigan enjoyed top spot – she was truly the darling of the crowds, with a winning smile to go with her grace and agility in the sport.
Her rival was Tonya Harding. Harding was the first American woman to complete a triple-axel jump, and had placed second in the 1991 World Figure Skating Championships.
Just before the US Championships in 1994, Harding – whose behaviour was becoming increasingly erratic – decided to take things into her own hands. Her ex-husband hired a goon called Shane Stant to knobble Kerrigan by smashing her kneecap with a metal baton after a practice session. Although Harding went on to win the event after Kerrigan pulled out, an investigation soon led to her disqualification and arrest. Her days in the sport obviously over, Harding went on to a career in … women's boxing. Enough said.

Other despicable acts that could well have been included in this list:

* Boxer Sonny Liston putting ointment on his gloves that would cause a burning sensation in the eyes of his opponent Mohammed Ali (then called Cassius Clay). It didn't work - Clay went on to win the bout, anyway. (1964)

* In the early days of cycling's Tour de France, one Hippolyte Aucouturier decided to give himself an edge on the field by attaching a cord to the back of a car and hitching a ride. The year before, he had hopped on a train for part of the journey! (1904-5)

* Russian army officer Boris Onischenko won the fencing competition at the Montreal Olympics, thanks to wiring his epee so that he could trigger the eletronic scoring system with his hand and register a hit at will. He was disqualified. (1976)

* Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tore apart the field in the mens 100 metres at the Seoul Olympics. He won the race in a world record time, but a urine test discovered a banned anabolic steroid in his system. He was stripped of his gold medal and banned from the sport for two years. Carl Lewis was promoted to 1st place. (1988)

* This one's only in the 'alleged' basket. But it's in golf, a game played strictly under "gentleman's" rules. At the Indonesia Open, Sandy Lyle accused fellow Scot Colin Montgomerie of moving his ball, which had been driven into a bunker, to achieve a more favourable lie. Monty hotly denied the accusation, which soured the pair's relationship from that day forward. (2005)

* re: Point 3. Some readers have pointed out that Haden's big dive may not have been the reason for the penalty, as a Welsh forward infringed by pushing himself up off All Black Frank Oliver's shoulder at the same lineout. Fair enough - but that still doesn't excuse the dive (worthy of Greg Louganis) and its intent.