The 2006 World Cup was certainly eventful for Australia in more ways than one.
Appearing at their first World Cup since 1974, the Socceroos not only won their first match but would qualify for the knockout stages.
They secured their spot in the round of 16 after drawing 2-2 with Croatia in a dramatic match that won’t be easily forgotten.
The Socceroos twice came from behind to salvage a vital point in a game that infamously saw Croatian defender Josip Simunic shown three yellow cards before he was eventually sent off.
So how did it happen and what went down in the aftermath? The Sporting News takes a look.
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How did Josip Simunic get three yellow cards?
Croatia’s centre-back received his first yellow in the 61st minute for sticking a hand out to stop Harry Kewell.
His second came in the 90th minute when he was guilty of a poor challenge in the middle of the pitch.
Simunic saw the yellow card and walked away slyly without being shown the red card that should have come with it.
At the end of the match, Simunic then berated the referee to get his third yellow card of the game and the elusive red card he should’ve been handed minutes earlier.
Croatia were already playing the final five minutes with 10 men after Dario Simic was sent off after picking up two yellows himself.
This crazy match between 🇭🇷 & 🇦🇺 from 2006 🤯#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/wHKUab4fkw
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 18, 2022
Why wasn’t Josip Simunic sent off by Graham Poll?
Referee Graham Poll was in charge of the Australia vs. Croatia match and even he struggled to understand why he didn’t send Simunic off after his second yellow card.
Poll stressed he used his usual system to identify and caution players but suggested Simunic’s Australian accent may have confused him.
“Although I have replayed the incident a thousand times in my head, I don’t really know why I did what I did,” Poll wrote in his 2007 autobiography Seeing Red.
“I cannot fully understand why I got it wrong and why I failed to send off Simunic.
“Aussie Joe certainly speaks with a broad Australian accent. Maybe, just maybe, that is where the confusion set in.
“Simunic began having a go at me. ‘You’re unbelievable,’ he said. I told him, ‘Any more of that and you’ll be off.’ As he ran away he said, ‘That is unbelievable.’ We all know now what he meant.”
Simunic, who grew up in Australia but opted to play for Croatia, also believes his Aussie accent spared him the initial red card.
“My Australian accent helped me with Graham Poll,” Simunic told The Roar.
“I wanted to shake his hand after the game and he didn’t give me his hand, it wasn’t very nice. I had a go at him and that’s why he gave me the third yellow.”
Why didn’t Josip Simunic play for Australia?
On that dramatic day in 2006, Simunic could well have been playing for the Socceroos instead of Croatia.
Simunic was born and raised Australia but opted to honour his Croatian heritage when it came to picking which national team to represent.
“It’s not personal. I’m very thankful for everything Australia has given me, but it’s my blood and I’m very honoured to have had the chance to play for Croatia,” Simunic told The Roar in 2020.
Simunic would play most of his club football in Germany and Croatia but his youth career began with the now defunct Australian Institute of Sport.
“I had the honour of being called up to the Australian Institute of Sport soccer program under Ron Smith and I was the luckiest person in the world,” he said.
“Being from Canberra I used to actually go and watch the Institute. I used to watch almost all the games. When Ron Smith called and asked if I was interested in coming to the institute that was for me like being chosen to go to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool or Man United.”
While he has no regrets about not playing for the Socceroos, he did enjoy playing them at the World Cup despite the end result and his unforgettable three yellow cards.
“It was a nice experience,” Simunic said.
“You’re at a World Cup and it happened to be that Croatia is playing against Australia. Most the players from Australia I knew, we were at the Institute together.”
Simunic is currently the manager of Croatia’s Under 19’s team and previously served as an assistant coach to the senior side.
“Oni su rođeni za velike stvari”
🎙️ Josip Šimunić, izbornik Hrvatske U-19
🎙️ Luka Stojković, strijelac prvog pogotka Islandu#Obitelj #U19EURO pic.twitter.com/79ERQxwEQe— HNS (@HNS_CFF) March 24, 2022
What happened to Graham Poll after the Australia vs. Croatia game?
Following his failure to send off Simunic after two yellow cards, Poll decided to retire from refereeing at international tournaments.
“What I did was an error in law. There can be no dispute. It was not caused by a FIFA directive, it was not caused by me being asked to referee differently to the way I referee in the Premier League,” Poll said at the time.
“The laws of the game are very specific. The referee takes responsibility for his actions on the field of play. I was the referee that evening. It was my error and the buck stops with me.”
Poll continued to referee at club level for a further year before hanging up the whistle completely in June 2007 after over a decade in the Premier League.
The Englishman subsequently went on to work in the media and is currently available as a motivational speaker.
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