Five myths of the history of the World Cup not to be missed

One of the novelties in view of the World Cup in Qatar was the book published by journalists Juan José Panno Y Oscar Barnade which bears the title “Myths and legends in the history of the World CupThe work, almost 300 pages long, is divided into 13 chapters and one of them deals with some myths of the previous 21 editions. Here, an excerpt of five unmissable stories.

The 6-0 in Peru, under suspicion

Was Argentina’s match against Peru staged in 1978? Is it true that there were several corrupt Peruvian players? Does the grain shipment sent by the government have anything to do with the holiday? What did Jorge Rafael Videla say to the Peruvians when he visited them in the locker room before the match? None of the investigative books written about that debacle have managed to reveal the truth. The wheat deal, for example, was part of an agreement signed years ago.

There is no doubt that the military dictatorship was interested in Argentina reaching the Scudetto or at least in the final, and that its representatives were capable of any method to achieve their goals, but this in no way involves Menotti and his players. And on the other hand, there is objective data suggesting that the victory was not surprising at all

The only irrefutably proven irregularity was that this match was played with the Brazil-Poland basis, so Argentina already knew that they needed four goals to advance to the final. A regulatory nonsense. Argentina and Peru should have played on the same day and at the same time as Brazil and Poland, and not one day later. The Peruvians came to that game eliminated, demotivated and had to play as guests against an opponent who had beaten them 3-1 just before, and with a phenomenal dance, in Lima.

And as if these data weren’t enough, we must add that at the start of the game the Peruvians had two scoring chances that could turn history upside down. In any case, Argentina’s victory will always remain suspect.

The Indians walked barefoot

Is it true or a myth that the Indians were not allowed to participate in the 1950 World Cup because they wanted to play barefoot?? At the 1948 London Olympics they surprised people by playing without shoes. Some had their feet tied and some wore stockings, they were used to that. In London they played only one game against France and lost it 2-1 in the 60th minute, after missing two penalties that could have given them victory.

They aroused curiosity in other European countries and spent a month on tour. But at the time of the World Cup, FIFA remained adamant with the regulations that required playing in shoes: the Indians decided not to participate. Some deniers of these stories assure that they didn’t actually play because they weren’t too interested in the World Cup.

That team had won the Asian Cup and had beaten teams from Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Hong Kong in the run-up to the World Cup. In the draw for the World Cup, which was made before its decline, they had to share a zone with Paraguay, Italy and Sweden – it was the closest they got to a World Cup.

The incentive to the Poles in 74

At the 1974 World Cup, the Argentine national team advanced to the second phase thanks to the great help given by the encouraged Poland. The historical sequence is this: in the first round Argentina lost 3-2 against Poland and Italy beat Haiti 3-1; in the second, Poland beat Haiti 7-0 and Argentina drew 1-1 against Italy. This way Argentina had to beat Haiti and hope that Poland beat Italy to go through.

There was speculation that the Poles, already classified, would play with substitutes, although there was no certainty of this. What they were convinced of in the Argentine delegation was that if they raised a few nice pesos and brought them closer to the Poles, Italy’s chances of winning would be reduced.

Many years later, Enrique Wolff and Roberto Telch acknowledged the incentive, clarifying that the Poles had given clear signals that they expected the money.

They collected $25,000 in a suitcase and sent it to Robert Gadocha, that team’s left wing, via a reporter from El Gráfico magazine.

On the third date, June 23, Argentina and Haiti played in Munich, Poland and Italy in Stuttgart. Argentina played their part and beat the weak Haitians 4-1, who left the championship with 2 goals in favor and 14 conceded. Poland also played its part and beat Italy 2-1: in the final table of the group Poland remained with 6 points and Argentina and Italy with 3 (in those days victories were awarded with 2 points and not 3 like now) but it happened Argentina for the best goal difference: 7 to 5 against 5 to 4.

Then, in the second stage, Argentina lost to the Netherlands and Brazil, and drew with democratic Germany, while Poland finished in third place.

Krol’s letter he never wrote

In edition number 3.062 of El Gráfico magazine, on June 13, 1978, in the middle of the World Cup, a letter was published with the signature of the Dutch captain, Rudolf Krol, in which he told his Dutch daughter about the wonders of Argentina.

He said, among other things: “Everything is calm and beautiful here. This is not the World Cup, but the Peace Cup. Don’t be frightened if next to us you see some photos of the concentration with the soldiers in green. These are our friends, they take care of us and protect us. They love us like all the people of this country (…). It’s getting colder. Through the hotel windows we see snow falling every day. The landscape is beautiful but you miss it. Smile, we’ll be together soon. Don’t worry, dad is fine, he has your doll and a battalion of soldiers who look after it, protect it and shoot flowers from their guns. Tell your little friends the truth. Argentina is a land of love. One day, when you grow up, you will be able to understand the whole truth.”

The letter turned out to be an invention of the journalist Enrique Romero, a climber capable of any maneuver to climb positions and who already had a long criminal record for his fabricated texts. Local media echoed the cartoon and even created songs with the vile letter.

Years later, a reporter for Página/12 interviewed Krol, who spoke Italian and visited Buenos Aires to play daddy soccer on a TV show. The note was posted with the headline “Burn Those Cards” and a photo of the player reading the clipping in question. Naturally, he categorically denied the fact. “I never wrote it, I have no idea why that reporter used me to write it. I have never written a letter in English in my life and it was absurd to write it in English to my Dutch daughter”. Krol’s letter is one of the most ignominious stains in the history of Editorial Atlántida during the last military dictatorship.

Obdulio Varela, the voice of command and empathy with the Brazilian people

“Let’s go ‘Let’s go’ up the Celeste / Let’s go ‘From the hill to Bella Unión / Let’s go’ As Negro Jefe says / Those outside are made of wood / Let the show begin“

The lyrics written by Jaime Ross in the song “Cuando juega Uruguay” is an anthem for Uruguayans. And it refers to one of the most historic moments in Eastern football. Legend has it that in the 1950 World Cup final, before entering a Maracanã packed with almost 200,000 Brazilian souls hoping to see Brazil as champions for the first time, Obdulio Varela, the Uruguayan captain, the Negro Jefe, harangued his colleagues: “Don’t think about all those people, don’t look up, the game is played below. Those outside are made of wood and we will be eleven against eleven”.

The passage of time tends to magnify historical moments, to welcome sentences, to wrap them in an epic halo. Some historians maintain, even today, that that sentence was actually pronounced by defender Schubert Gambetta. The goalkeeper of that match, Roque Máspoli, assured: “Schubert Gambetta was the hero of the Maracana. He had it all: temperament, class, confidence. Faith was contagious. With people like that, it’s impossible to lose.”

But history has reserved a special place for the Negro Obdulio Varela, who the evening after the match, seeing the sadness of the Brazilian people, went to a bar and shared his grief with rival fans. In reality, his teammates came out to celebrate the victory on the Copacabana promenade. But Obdulio moved away and began to wander the deserted streets of Rio de Janeiro, entered a bar and asked for a drink. At first he feared being recognized and lynched.

“I started drinking sugar cane hoping they wouldn’t recognize me, because I believed if they did they would kill me. But they recognized me right away and, to my surprise, they congratulated me, hugged me and many of them stayed drinking with me until dawn,” he told Dpa in an interview in 1993.