Today marks 100th anniversary of birth of legendary football referee Tofiq Bahramov

Today marks the 100th birth anniversary of the world-famous Azerbaijani football referee Tofiq Bahramov, Report informs.

The man whose name is forever inscribed in world football history was born on January 29, 1925, in Baku.

Tofiq Bahramov's football journey began in 1940 when, at age 15, he started playing for the youth team "Spartak."

Later, he moved to the club "Neftyanik" (now "Neftchi"). However, a serious leg injury ended his playing career. But Bahramov didn't give up and decided to continue his path as a referee. At just 26, Tofiq Bahramov began refereeing USSR championship matches, and 14 years later received the title of international referee. His finest hour came in 1966 when he was invited to the World Cup in England. Bahramov was appointed as linesman for the legendary final match between England and West Germany at Wembley Stadium.

He was the one who allowed Geoff Hurst's controversial goal, which subsequently brought victory to the English. This historic decision made Bahramov the only linesman in history to receive the "Golden Whistle" - an award usually given only to main referees. After this match, the Queen of Great Britain gave him a golden whistle and a copy of the football cup with the goddess Nike.

At the 1966 World Cup, Tofiq Bahramov was the main referee for one match and linesman in three games. He also refereed matches at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, EURO-1968, and EURO-1972. Bahramov became the first Azerbaijani and Soviet referee appointed to a European cup final - in 1972, he refereed the UEFA Cup final between Wolverhampton and Tottenham. He also refereed the 1972 Intercontinental Cup match between Ajax and Independiente and was a linesman in the Estudiantes vs Manchester United match.

After retiring in 1975, Tofiq Bahramov continued contributing to Azerbaijani football development by training young referees. He became the first chairman of the AFFA Referees Committee and later the organization's general secretary.

Tofiq Bahramov passed away on March 26, 1993, but his memory lives on. Baku's main stadium bears his name, where a monument to the legendary referee stands. A documentary film has been made about his life.