1978 world cup controversy

Football World Cup is called 'The Greatest Show on Earth'. The World Cup final is the most watched TV screen in the world at the same time. The war which in the Middle Ages was fought with arms, in a comparatively civilized society was fought on the field, by foot, by skill. This event is unique in the world, full of ethnic passion and extraordinary craftsmanship. But was this tournament always just a sporting battle beyond debate? No, the 1978 World Cup was an exception. Small controversies surround all World Cups, but there have been few controversies like this World Cup so far. Usually the country to host the World Cup is decided at least 5 years in advance. 1978 World Cup hosts Argentina before 1976. Why is the year 1976 mentioned in particular? Because of a military coup in Argentina in 1976, Videl's junta came to power. Anarchy started in the country. Traditionally, the junta government has carried out various atrocities in the country, including killings and disappearances. Dissidents were massacred. Meanwhile, as the junta government came to power, various countries led by Holland raised noise about the transfer of the World Cup. But it is not so easy to move a World Cup, so the World Cup remains in Argentina. Despite all the teams, the Dutch legend, the best footballer of that time "Johan Cruyff" and the German star defender "Paul Breitner" boycotted the World Cup. Despite ostensibly other family reasons, many close to Cruyff interpreted the decision as a protest against the junta government. Don't be surprised, Cruyff is more than just a footballer. He has always had high support for all democratic movements, starting with Catalan independence. The World Cup suffered its first blow with the exclusion of two legendary footballers. A few days before the start of the tournament, the head of the organizing committee was killed by the junta government because it was reported that he might speak out against the extra costs. Meanwhile, Janta Videlo found a way to win the hearts of people who were angry about poverty and murder in football. His government's policy was, inject radical patriotism through the game and sort it out yourself. Argentina flags were given free on the streets. People have forgotten the real state of the country in football. Hosts Argentina narrowly edged Hungary 2-1 in their first match. That night an army officer came to an Argentinian player. Laughingly, he said, if you are left out of the group, no one will take it well. The smile was fake. Then the player was only thinking about how his friend was killed by the army for being a dissident. Under heavy pressure, Argentina passed the group. Then they have second round matches with Brazil, Peru and Poland. The first match Brazil-Argentina was won by both teams, then the Brazil-Argentina match was a draw. Brazil won 3-1 in the last match and Argentina needed to win by at least 4 goals to advance to the semis. Argentina had 6 total goals before that match. On the other hand, Peru conceded 5 goals in 5 matches. If Argentina lost on home soil, it would not have been pleasant for the junta government. That match became the center of the biggest controversy. Argentina won the match 6-0! Then the controversy started. From the first match, strangely, all the decisions of the referee were going in favor of Argentina. Moreover, although the games of all the other teams were played in the afternoon, the host's game was held in the evening. After the first match against Hungary, their coach Lajos Baroti said, "Everything here is in favor of Argentina, even the wind." The trend of bad refereeing continued in the next match against France. France missed a sure penalty in the first half. But on the other side, a controversial penalty was whistled for the hosts. Due to the biased refereeing and the bad misses of the teammates, Michel Platini alone could not win the French that day, the hosts won the match with 2-1 goals. Michel Platini never won the World Cup in his career. However, he was one of the best in the world at that time. In the second round, two arch rivals Brazil and Argentina ended in a tie, so the last match became the undeclared final. And there was born the biggest debate in football history. At that time, Peru was not a strong team, but it was not a team to score six goals. Although they struggled a bit in the first half, in the second half it was as if the Peruvian footballers were just standing on the field, and the Argentines scored goal after goal. Although the 6-0 victory was won, it gave rise to many controversies. It is heard that Argentine dictator General Videla went to Peru's dressing room at half time of the match and threatened to leave the match. In addition, it was later reported in the press that Argentina had sent arms and food aid to Peru in exchange for abandoning the match. Argentina was the supplier of a large portion of Peru's wheat at that time. The British media claimed that the Argentinian junta pressured the Peruvian government for the wheat. Another rumor comes in some Latin periodicals. The junta government claimed this victory in exchange for the release of 13 Peruvian citizens imprisoned in Argentina. The rumor had some acceptance for other reasons. It has been almost a couple of weeks since the World Cup, by that time more and more small complaints have been accumulated. Shameless refereeing in the Netherlands-Scotland match, the pressure given to the media, another big reason was that Argentina always played at night, as the last match, knowing the results of all other matches! So the rumors get a lot of acceptance around the world. Even a few days ago, a Peruvian senator claimed that the match was really rigged! It is neither a controversy nor a rumour, but there is nothing against the visual. What was that? In the final, the Holland team was brought to the stadium by a long detour. When the Holland team was brought on the field, the Argentina team was still in the dressing room. Why was it done? Latino fans are more into soccer than anywhere else, so stadiums tend to be noisier. In front of 70,000 fans in Buenos Aires, the Holland team were left with only two to eat. 70,000 spectators blew whistles, blew whistles and started cheering for Holland. In the words of one Holland player, the experience was like, "If 5 jet planes flew by, we wouldn't have felt it." Mentally shocked Holland team in the final. With the match tied at 1-1, a shot from the Holland striker hit the bar. Twenty seconds left before the end of the match. Argentina won the final 3-1 in their own field! If there is a question, whether the author is intentionally writing against Argentina or not, then let's listen to a statement of Lucu, the player of the 1978 World Cup winning team, "I still remember that I didn't play this World Cup right. If it was like 1986, I would have cherished it forever.” Many Argentine fans of that time cherish the 1986 World Cup win more carefully than the 1978 one. In fact, the players of the Argentina team of 1978 themselves had to go through a lot of pressure, didn't the invisible gun barrels on their heads and the faces in the uniforms with fake smiles drive them away? If not, why would you say that? There may be controversy over the arrangement or the organizers, and with 1978 it is justified, but that in no way takes away the resurgence of a football-mad nation. That success is questionable, but what is indisputable is that this victory paved the way for the 1986 World Cup victory. During that World Cup, a young man with shaggy hair, who had just missed a place in the team, marched in the streets with a chest pain, Diego Maradona, who came with the 1986 cup in his hands. In the minds of many footballers, that streak of success was dim. But the debate? This World Cup is controversial enough because of what has come before the screen. In the absence of a speechless media under the junta regime, there can surely be more than this. It's the greatest show on earth. No one waits to see the staging of the game scheduled for four years by the port wheat and the tea ceremony of the political leaders. Every football fan wants to win the golden trophy on the field.