English referee Graham Poll mistakenly showed Croatian Player Josip Šimunić three yellow cards during the Croatia vs. Australia match before finally sending him off. The incident, occurring in the 61st, 90th, and 93rd minutes, resulted in Poll retiring from international football.
During the Group F match on June 22, 2006, in Stuttgart, Poll cautioned Šimunić for a foul in the 61st minute. In the 90th minute, he issued a second yellow card but did not send the player off. Following the final whistle, Šimunić was shown a third yellow card for dissent before receiving the red card.
Poll later admitted he failed to realize the second caution was for Šimunić, confusing him with an Australian player (Craig Moore) due to his Australian accent and not updating his notes correctly.
The error was a major talking point of the tournament, leading to Poll and his officiating team being removed from further 2006 FIFA World Cup matches.
