René Mercet (1 December 1898 – 13 June 1961) was a Swiss

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

referee in the 1920s and 1930s. He is best known for having refereed the Italy v Spain replayed quarter-final match in 1934. Mercet is accused of having allowed an irregular goal from Meazza, then of having refused two others for Spain. "The referee conducted the operations with such casualness that he frequently appeared to be Italy's twelfth man" reads the summary of the French sports daily ''L'Auto''. After his return to Switzerland, he was struck off by the Swiss Football Association and FIFA.Omar Gisler Das große Buch der Fußball-Rekorde: Superlative, Kuriositäten, ... 2012- Page 262 "René Mercet Der Schweizer Schiri René Mercet ermöglichte Italien bei der WM 1934 im Spiel gegen Spanien den Einzug ins Halbfinale. Einen irregulären Treffer von Giuseppe Meazza anerkannte er, zwei elfmeterreife Fouls der Italiener ..."

References

1898 births 1934 FIFA World Cup referees Swiss football referees 1961 deaths {{Switzerland-footy-bio-stub