Maradona, Messi, Henry, Suarez - Did their handballs warrant bans?

Inverness defender Josh Meekings hit the headlines this week for a now infamous handball against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

The moment, which was missed by the officials, helped the club earn a 3-2 win, but in a landmark ruling from the Scottish Football Association, Meekings has since been issued with a one-game ban, ruling him out of the Scottish Cup final against Falkirk on May 30.

As we pick out six handballs from the past, it seems that in at least one high-profile example, a retrospective ban could have altered the course of football history…

Diego Maradona v England - 1986 World Cup quarter-final – Estadio Azteca

Arguably the most infamous handball in footballing history, Diego Maradona’s first of two goals against England at Mexico 1986 sent shockwaves across the world.

“A little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God,” he said after his controversial opener, and thus, the ‘Hand of God’ was born.

Had Maradona received a one-game ban for his ‘divine’ effort, he would have missed a semi-final against Belgium and would not have scored the two goals that took his team into the final with a 2-0 victory.

They went on to beat West Germany in the final and Maradona's legendary status was secure, but things might have been very different had he been treated in the same way as Meekings.

Raul Gonzalez v Leeds – 2000/01 Champions League group stage – Bernabeu

David O’Leary’s Leeds travelled to Madrid in the second group-stage of the 2000/01 Champions League after overcoming Louis van Gaal’s Barcelona in the initial group stage to reach the equivalent of today’s last 16.

Alan Smith’s sixth-minute strike was cancelled out instantly as Raul tipped Luis Figo’s cross beyond Nigel Martyn. The result didn’t affect Leeds’ progression as they reached the semi-finals before they were knocked out by eventual runners-up Valencia.

Had Raul been handed a one-game ban by UEFA he would have missed a 2-0 defeat away to Anderlecht - but his manager Vicente del Bosque took matters into his own hands by resting the Spaniard for the trip to Belgium.

Lionel Messi v Espanyol – 06/07 La Liga season – Camp Nou

Trailing Espanyol in their final home game of the 2006/07 season, Barcelona pulled level when Messi shaped to head Gianluca Zambrotta’s cross past the on-rushing Carlos Kameni before handling it into the back of the net.

Espanyol complaints fell on deaf ears, but they were able to hold on for a 2-2 draw against Frank Rijkaard’s side and derail their push to the La Liga crown.

A one-game retrospective suspension would have ruled Messi out of the season finale away to Gimnastic. As it happened, he took as starring role in a 5-1 victory, scoring two at the Nou Estadi de Tarragona.

But the result proved worthless as Barca finished second behind Real Madrid in the final standings; level on points, ahead on goal difference but, crucially, behind on the head-to-head rule.

Gerard Pique & Samuel Eto’o vs Chelsea - 2009 Champions League semi-final – Stamford Bridge

Chelsea’s defeat to Barcelona in the 2008/09 Champions League was marred by errors from referee Tom Henning Ovrebo before Andres Iniesta struck at the death to deny Chelsea a second-successive all-English final against Manchester United.

After penalty claims for fouls on Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba were ignored, Nicolas Anelka’s flick past Pique went unpunished before Eto’o blocked Michael Ballack’s goal-bound volley in the dying seconds with his arm. “How has he not given the Eto’o one?” Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp fumed after the game. “I can’t get my head around it.”

With Eric Abidal ruled out of the final following his dismissal at Stamford Bridge, bans to Pique and Eto’o would have surely weakened Barca’s push for European glory.

Eto’o opened the scoring against Manchester United in Rome and, with Pique marshalling the back four, United may well have become the first side to retain the trophy in the Champions League era, had retrospective bans been imposed.

Thierry Henry v Rep of Ireland – 2010 World Cup Qualifier, Stade de France

Ireland’s hopes of reaching their first World Cup finals since 2002 hinged on a play-off with two-time world champions France in 2009.

Having lost the first leg at Croke Park, the Irish produced a rousing display in Paris as Robbie Keane levelled the tie and forced extra time and with the game seemingly destined for penalties, Henry handled the ball twice, steering it into the path of William Gallas to tap home.

Henry was heavily criticised for his part in the goal, scrutiny he felt was unjustified given the fact he admitted to the mistake immediately after the game.

“When I see Messi scoring against Espanyol, diving to touch the ball with his hand, people say, ‘What a genius, now he is closer than ever to Maradona.’ But when it was me, it was like I had killed someone,” Henry told Canal Plus.

Had Henry’s participation at the World Cup in South Africa been affected by the issuing of a one-game ban, he would have missed France’s opening game against Uruguay in Cape Town. His inclusion, though, did little to aid a calamitous French campaign as they crashed out of the tournament at the group stage.

Luis Suarez v Ghana - 2010 World Cup quarter-final – Soccer City

If Ireland’s heartache was hard to stomach, Africa’s hopes of having a first nation reach the World Cup semi-finals were dashed in highly controversial circumstances in Johannesburg a year on.

Uruguay v Ghana was heading for a penalty shoot-out when Luis Suarez palmed Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header off the line right at the death.

The then-Ajax striker was sent from field, only for Asamoah Gyan to miss the resulting penalty before Uruguay snatched a place in the semis after the shootout.

Suarez’s dismissal ensured he was banned for the semi-final clash with the Netherlands, a game which the Dutch went on to win 1-0. But he was straight back into the starting line-up for third-place play-off against Germany, as Joachim Low's side exacted their own punishment with a 3-2 victory.