This Sunday the Qatar 2022 World Cup begins and the first match will be at 1:00 p.m. between the host and Ecuador for Group A at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Days ago Info White On Black published a note about the first soccer World Cup that was played in Uruguay in 1930. But much more bizarre, crude and rigged was the one played in Italy in 1934.
A championship that, according to what is told in the book “History of the World Cups 1930-2014“, helped the dictator Benito Mussolini to establish himself as the European leader and who had several casualties among the teams. One of them was Uruguay, the first champion in the history of the World Cups that did not defend the title in revenge for the European boycott partially carried out four years before.In that championship the “charrúas” returned the bad gesture to the Italian organizers, who were one of those who did not play in 1930.
The other countries that did not participate in the World Cup in Italy were England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, after the Football Association that represented these teams decided not to travel.
“The associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have a lot to do with organizing their international championship, which I think is better than the world championship that will be played in Rome,” said Association member Charles Sutcliffe.
In the case of Argentina, although they participated, they decided to play with a substitute team in protest against the nationalization of their three best players by Italy: Luis Monti, Raimundo Orsi and Enrique Guaita.
As the book “The History of the World Cups 1930-2014” recalls, for many people that World Cup had undisguised favoritism in favor of the host, who finally emerged champion.
Even the referee who directed the semifinal and the final was criticized after learning that in the previous of both matches he had met with Mussolini himself.
Another curious fact about that World Cup was that in the quarterfinals all eight teams were European. In one of the crosses, the one between Spain and Italy, there was a draw. And according to the rules of the time, they had to play again the next day, where seven Spanish players could not be due to injuries from the first game, in which the Italians even broke a rib to the rival goalkeeper. And expelled there were none. That second second match was won by Italy 1-0.
Finally, there was an even more unusual encounter. In the match for third place between Germany and Austria, as the captains could not agree on who should change jerseys and wear an auxiliary, both teams started the game wearing similar jerseys. Just when Germany got 12-0 on the scoreboard, the Austrians ran to put on Club Napoli shirts.
About when the ball got stained ⚽️🏆:
1. World Cup in Italy 1934: the World Cup that fascism won.
The dictator Benito Mussolini projected the World Cup as a propaganda weapon so that Europe and other regions knew the benefits of fascism.
Champion 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/Ljvp3Ng8QY
— 🄳🄴🄿🄾🅁🅃🄸🅅🄾 🄲🄰🄻🄸 (@deportivocalico) November 19, 2022