TWTD contributor Asif Burhan’s new book, The Other Side of the Hand of God: Inside the Most Notorious Match in World Cup History, is now available for pre-order.

The Other Side of the Hand of God is published on 22nd June, the 30th anniversary of Argentina’s 2-1 World Cup quarter-final victory over Bobby Robson’s England at the Azteca in Mexico.

Extensively researched, Asif spoke to players involved in the game including Blues legend Terry Butcher, John Barnes, Chris Waddle, Bryan Robson, Peter Reid and former Town youngster Gary Stevens, as well as broadcasters, among them Martin Tyler and Barry Davies, photographers Bob Thomas and Peter Robinson, and also fans, journalists, producers, officials and others connected with the match and tournament.

The book covers the game itself from all angles as well as England’s fraught preparations, the context of the teams meeting in the shadow of the Falklands War, which took place only four years previously, and the suffocating heat of the Azteca.

Asif, who lives at Shotley Gate and works part-time at the local Bristol Arms pub, says he first became conscious of the match, Diego Maradona’s two goals, the Hand of God and his brilliant second, during the subsequent finals.

“The 1990 World Cup was the first one I remember but much of the build-up to that tournament used these radiant images from 1986 and the Hand of God match which were captivating and mysterious to me,” he said.

“I visited the Azteca to watch a World Cup qualifier in 2009 and stood on the spot where Maradona punched the ball in.”

The trigger for writing the book was the sale of Maradona’s shirt, which he swapped with England midfielder Steve Hodge after the match.

“I was in London on the day the auction for the Maradona shirt ended at Sotheby’s in 2022,” Asif added.

“I decided to visit the gallery and ended up being there as the auction concluded and saw a man in tears because he had failed to win it. My tweet on the hammer price (£7,142,500) was picked up by Gary Lineker and Piers Morgan and therefore went around the world.

“The impact of the auction and the story behind the shirt itself are explored in the book and demonstrate the enduring fascination with everything around the game and the space for an English-language book on it.”

One man dominated the tournament - and therefore the book - as both hero and antihero.

“Whatever you might think of the first goal, it’s hard to imagine had he just scored the second he would be nearly as celebrated as he is, still now, 40 years later,” Asif reflected.

“The England players are adamant that without the shock of the first goal, he would never been allowed the space for the second and the pattern of the match seems to support this.

“So, like many things in his life, the first and second goal cannot exist in isolation, they were both part of his character and his genius which is why, more than Pelé or Messi, Diego Maradona is eulogised by so many around the world.”

Unsurprisingly, a bad taste lingers among some members of the England squad.

“Especially for the players who were not around in 1990, there was a general feeling amongst them that the team had not done itself justice in the game,” Asif continued.

“And also that but for an extraordinary goal-line clearance in the final minute, the match would have gone to extra-time and played out very differently with England in the ascendancy.

“But I think, even though many of the players still harbour a feeling of bitterness towards how the first goal was scored, they understand that the notoriety of the match has kept them in the public eye and offered them opportunities to tell their own stories about how their lives were touched by Maradona’s legend.

“A fact exacerbated by his premature death during the Covid year of 2020 when everyone was gripped by football nostalgia due to the lack of crowds at live matches.”

Having researched in great detail over the course of two years, Asif says there were inevitably stories he didn’t have the space to include.

“Over the course of 40 years, some of the stories around the match have been embellished to satisfy a narrative,” he said.

“It seems certain, for instance, that Maradona never said anything about a ’hand of God’ after the match.

“One that intrigued me was that a couple of days after the game a young woman from Essex changed her name to Miss Jandiego Maradona by deed poll after she was inspired by his performances at that World Cup.”

The Other Side of the Hand of God: Inside the Most Notorious Match in World Cup History is available for pre-order here.

Photo: imago/Sven Simon via Reuters Connect