Former referee Ali Bin Nasser explains why he let Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal stand

Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal will forever remain one of the most iconic moments in the history of the football World Cup. The Argentine legend's controversial goal against England in the 1986 World Cup played a crucial role in deciding his country's fate in the tournament and remains forever etched in the memories of football fans around the world.

Maradona, one of the most talented players to have graced the pitch, was the best in the world at the time and had single-handedly carried Argentina to the quarterfinals against England in the World Cup. England were the better side on paper but despite being an average team, Argentina were a force to reckon with Maradona in the side.

The little genius was at the peak of his prowess but England came up with a simple strategy to lock him down on the pitch and keep him away from the ball in dangerous positions. Their defenders were on the money in the first half but Maradona came into his own in the second half and looked desperate to find the back of the net.

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It was Maradona, who started the attack from the centre of the pitch and dribbled past a host of England players before passing the ball to one of his teammates. The pass was intercepted by Steve Hodge, who tried to kick the ball high for the England goalkeeper to grab it. However, Maradona rose for the ball and won the battle with the goalkeeper to push the ball into the back of the net.

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While it appeared Maradona had scored a header, replays later showed the ball was pushed past the goalkeeper with his clenched fist. However, with no means to review the controversial goal at the time, it stood and gave Argentina a much-needed 1-0 lead in the quarterfinal.

The controversial goal which was not even legally scored, went on to become part of the football folklore after Maradona famously quipped after the game - "Un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios", which roughly translates to - "A little with the head of Maradona and little with the hand of God," in English.

The goal proved to be a vital one for Argentina as it lifted their spirits in the quarters and saw Maradona follow it up with the Goal of the Century to inspire his team to a 2-1 win. Argentina went on to win the final and lift their second World Cup title.

The referee who officiated the match explains why he allowed the goal to stand

Such is the legacy of Maradona that 36 years since the controversial goal, it is still one of the most iconic and talked-about moments in World Cup history. The match ball from that game is expected to be sold for a whopping $3.3 million at an auction on Wednesday.

The match ball is a priceless possession for former referee Ali Bin Nasser of Tunisia, who officiated the quarterfinal between Argentina and England and allowed Maradona's first goal in the game to stand. He was allowed to keep the ball as FIFA declared that referees will get to keep the match ball after each game at the 1986 World Cup.

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Being the referee, Nasser's verdict was bound to be the final one as back then there was no VAR (Video Assistant Referee) to do a goal check. However, Nasser revealed his vision was blocked and from what he saw, it looked like Maradona had headed the ball into the back of the net.

However, he resorted to the guidelines issued by FIFA at the time and looked up to the linesman for the final signal.Bulgarian Bogdan Dochev, the linesman had a better view of the goal and saw nothing wrong which prompted Nasser to allow it to stand and let Argentina have their 1-0 lead.

"It is a gift from God. Because I had a career of 25 years … and I made all the decisions that needed to be made," Nasser told CNN Sport at the auction of the iconic ball.

"(Dochev)arrived at the centre line, which means the goal is 100% valid," he said when asked why the goal was allowed to stand while reasserting that he followed the guidelines issued by FIFA to come to the decision.

Nasser, who is 78 now, had pledged to donate a significant amount from the auction proceedings to a charity while he intends to use the rest to live a better life.