"Russian linesman" who awarded the goal, as Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet Union at the time, and the nickname stuck to the point where his real name was all but forgotten. According to the Laws of the Game, for a goal to be awarded, the ball must cross the goal line, with its full diameter behind the full width of the line. German players claimed to have seen chalk dust, which would indicate it was not a goal. Roger Hunt claimed to have seen the ball bounce behind the line. When Bahramov wrote his memoirs, he stated that he believed the ball had bounced back not from the crossbar, but from the net, so the further movement of the ball was already insignificant, and not visible for him either. Bahramov loved refereeing and the game of football in general, and described football matches as, "duels...full of unforeseen turns and even real miracles. And who does not want to be a magician if even for just 90 minutes?" Legacy The Azerbaijan national stadium in Baku is named the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in his honour. It was renamed in 1993, shortly after Azeri independence and Bahramov's death, having previously been named after the Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. When England were drawn in the same group as Azerbaijan in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a ceremony was held prior to the meeting at the stadium to honor his memory, with attendees including Geoff Hurst, Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter. A statue monument of him was also unveiled at the ceremony and he became the first referee to have a stadium named after him. During the same visit, his son Bahram Bahramov met representatives of the English fans and expressed his pleasure that the famous "Russian linesman" of 1966 had finally regained his true nationality. "Now that Azerbaijan is independent it’s very right for him to be remembered as a member of the Azeri nation. People like Tofiq Bahramov are only born once in a hundred years". See also Ghost goal 1966 FIFA World Cup Final Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium References External links BBC: Baku memorial for 1966 linesman IWPR: Baku Celebrates its Wembley Hero 1925 births 1993 deaths Soviet football referees Azerbaijani football referees Soviet footballers Azerbaijani footballers Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Neftçi PFK players FIFA World Cup Final match officials Footballers from Baku