{"id":2177,"date":"2021-01-05T18:06:27","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T18:06:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/?p=2177"},"modified":"2021-01-05T18:12:02","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T18:12:02","slug":"more-despicable-people-and-the-world-cup-part-three-consequences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/2021\/01\/05\/more-despicable-people-and-the-world-cup-part-three-consequences\/","title":{"rendered":"More Despicable People and the World Cup (Part Three) Consequences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Satish Sekar \u00a9 Satish Sekar (December 28th<\/sup> 2020)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fix and its Consequences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is little doubt that the match between Argentina and Per\u00fa in the 1978 World Cup left a bitter taste. To some it absolutely reeked. However, the full truth about the \u2018fix\u2019 may never emerge, but enough has to expose it as one of the most despicable deals in football history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osvaldo Ardiles played in that tournament for Argentina, but even he could not rule out the possibility that something wrong had happened. Both Ardiles and his team-mate Ricardo (Ricky) Villa won moves to England\u2019s top-flight. Villa had no doubt that Argentina\u2019s players were used by the junta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Per\u00favian players and officials from that tournament accused Videla\u2019s regime of serious threats to their welfare. Few, if any, doubt that Videla was capable of that and much worse, but there is now conclusive proof that far worse happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his denials, strong evidence emerged that Per\u00fa\u2019s dictator, General Francisco Morales-Berm\u00fadez, reached a despicable deal with the late and unlamented Argentine dictator Jorge Videla Redondo. Denounced by former Per\u00favian Senator Genaro Ledesma, Morales-Berm\u00fadez stood accused of trading the lives of 13 Per\u00favian dissidents to Videla\u2019s demands for World Cup triumph. The second-half capitulation by Per\u00fa was to be paid for by the blood of Per\u00favians \u2013 it can\u2019t get more despicable than this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Further Accusations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Dutch certainly suffered from Argentine gamesmanship. Ren\u00e9 van der Kerkhof had played all previous matches with a plaster cast without complaint. Argentina forced a delay by insisting on extra bandaging. They also secured a change of referee, but it could have all been for nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fine margins decide trophies. With only the keeper to beat Rob Rensenbrink hit the post in the last minute \u2013 it rebounded and Argentina went on to win in extra time, but however unlucky and unpleasant their experience may have been, Dutch complaints pale compared to Per\u00fa\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Argentina won and celebrated but as time passed views on Videla changed and so did Argentine opinion of the World Cup. Videla had plans for the World Cup. His junta needed success to mask the realties \u2013 the torture and murder and disappearances, some of which occurred close to the main stadium in Buenos Aires. Nothing less than winning the World Cup would do, but first Argentina had to thrash Per\u00fa. The scheduling \u2013 something that should not have required a scandal or two for FIFA to change \u2013 favoured Argentina. Brasil had beaten Poland 3-1 in the afternoon heat. Argentina would play in easier conditions, knowing what they needed to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Scandalous<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

World Cup winner Leopoldo Luque wishes in hindsight that they had not played. He says they did not know \u2013 they just played football and did so well. They wouldn\u2019t have known. The junta had clear requirements \u2013 win at any price \u2013 and it controlled the Argentine media at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The junta lied and lied and lied \u2013 that would become clear four years later as it lied about the Falklands (Malvinas) War in circumstances where a total media blackout in a foreign country was required. How would Lque and others have known in 1978? Ardiles admits that he believed the junta\u2019s lies at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Argentina\u2019s young coach \u2013 C\u00e9sar Lu\u00eds Menotti \u2013 insists that the victory belonged to the team. They won it for Argentineans not the military. But that doesn\u2019t cut it for the r\u00e9gime\u2019s victims. They had a long fight for justice and recognition of their ordeals. But if Argentineans didn\u2019t know, much of the rest of the world did. The World Cup  very nearly did not take place as both West Germany and the Netherlands threatened to boycott over the appalling human records of Videla\u2019s junta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ludicrous<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Argentina progressed to the final as did the Netherlands. There were also accusations of doping in the tournament and some of it was undoubted as at least one positive test occurred in the Argentine squad for pregnancy. There can be little doubt what that meant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were also accusations of intimidation of Dutch players before the final. However, nothing was proved on that and one of the best teams never to win the World Cup came second again. Even now four decades later, it still grates with Dutch supporters who believe that they were cheated. But Brasil not the Netherlands were the victims of the worst cheating \u2013 the Fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dutch legend Johan Cruijff claims that he was informed that there would be a kidnap attempt on him, but Cruijff chose to retire before the World Cup Finals in Argentina. Years later it emerged that there had been such an attempt in Spain on Cruijff and his family and that affected his decision to retire from international football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will remain one of football\u2019s unsolvable mysteries if Cruijff\u2019s presence would have changed the outcome, but Argentineans had far more serious issues to consider, as did their South American compatriots. Operation Condor loomed larger over 1978\u2019s World Cup than many care to admit. Over four decades later it still does.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is little doubt that the match between Argentina and Per\u00fa in the 1978 World Cup left a bitter taste. To some it absolutely reeked. However, the full truth about the \u2018fix\u2019 may never emerge, but enough has to expose it as one of the most despicable deals in football history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19,12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2177"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2185,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177\/revisions\/2185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}