Saddest moments in football history

[Zuras]

Chokes, blunders, and robbings, then all the tears that follow. What do you think is the saddest, most heartbreaking moment in WC history. A little video to get you into thinking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2EOVvr8vic&search=world%20cup%20heartbreak

[footballfreak]

The Zambian air crash is easily the saddest moment in World Cup history. I defy anyone to say differently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zambia_national_football_team#The_Gabon_air_disaster

After all, it's just a game. Missed penalties are forgotten eventually. With regards to football on the pitch, Canada's final 1994 World Cup qualifier against Mexico was tragic. Canada needed a draw to qualify ahead of Mexico. We were denied a legitimate goal to go 2-0 up. The Canadian players were so incensed that they didn't notice the Mexicans had taken the kick quickly. Mexico advanced down the pitch and tied it at 1-1. They ultimately won 2-1, and went to USA 94.

But memories like that are nothing compared to the deaths of 30 people.

[Kubala]

The Zambian air crash is easily the saddest moment in World Cup history. I defy anyone to say differently.


Outside the Wold Cup, I would say the two saddest moments are the air crashes which destroyed
- totally, the Turin squad in 1949 (Torino won 5 consecutive Italian Leagues and had at least two worldwide players such as Valentino Mazoola and Maroso, and many other pretty good players);
- many of the Manchester United "Busby babes" in 1958

[vazet]

there was a story about former kiev players defying the odds and beating a number of nazi teams onlt to end up getting shot for their efforts, that would have to rank fairly high.

[Pabs]

Heysel

[condor11]

there was a story about former kiev players defying the odds and beating a number of nazi teams onlt to end up getting shot for their efforts, that would have to rank fairly high.

i saw a documentary a few weeks ago that said that those event are not true

the players were not shot

it was in that History of Football series on the History channel

[vazet]

i saw a documentary a few weeks ago that said that those event are not true

the players were not shot

it was in that History of Football series on the History channel

I found these,

http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20010327IE3

http://www.ukrainiansoccer.net/html/dynamo_kyiv_-_death_match.html

a mix of truth and legend.

[nach0king]

Air crashes, murders, purges... the history of bloodshed sometimes overlaps with the history of football.

On the pitch, any serious, career-ending injury. Particularly to the young.

[glennaldo_sf]

On the pitch, any serious, career-ending injury. Particularly to the young.

Marc-Vivien Foe

http://membres.lycos.fr/sosprisedeconscience/foe_portait.jpg

[jambon-beurre]

As for the most heartbreaking moment in WC history on the pitch, I have to mention the France-Germany (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RvuuiEgsY0) semi-final in '82. Leading 3-1 in extra-time, you can't be closer to play a WC final which would have been the first for France.
It changed the conception of the game in France I believe, before that it was first the beautiful football, then the result. Now it's the opposite.

Another one concerning French football is the defeat of France against Bulgaria in the last match of the WC qualifiers for the WC94 (1-2), being ousted from the World Cup on a last minute goal by Kostadinov when France needed only 1 point in the last 2 matches to qualify (France had lost against Israel 2-3 the previous match). Harsh. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU-sc_u8biY)

[celito]

Ronaldo's 2nd knee injury in his first game back after almost a year on the sideline healing from his first knee injurty.

[Achtung]

Heysel

And Hillsborough, obviously, along the same lines.

[glennaldo_sf]

This is a very, very depressing topic.

[PsychedelicCeltic]

Chokes, blunders, and robbings, then all the tears that follow. What do you think is the saddest, most heartbreaking moment in WC history. A little video to get you into thinking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2EOVvr8vic&search=world%20cup%20heartbreak
That's a stupid video, especially for including Martin Offiah (the NORWEB shirt) in it.

Offiah - who by the way is a rugby league player - just scored the greatest try ever at Wembley against Leeds in the 1994 Cup final. He wasn't sad. He was overwrought by the magnitude of what he did.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/challenge_cup/3423483.stm

[Uniteder]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=us1anf6ojeY&search=Miki%20Feher

:(

[Henry Porter]

I wasn't exposed to the real tragedies but for me the worst was Baggio in 94. Granted it wasn't as bad but it hit me the hardest.

[mak9]

Ronaldo's 2nd knee injury in his first game back after almost a year on the sideline healing from his first knee injurty.

apart from the serious moments (like death, air crashes)...this is perhaps the saddest moment ever for me. It was the death of the old ronaldo. It was so bad....that I refused to watch football from 1999-2001 until ronaldo came back. There was no one to follow in football during that time. Euro 2000 was probably the only football I saw during those periods.

[footballfreak]

As for the most heartbreaking moment in WC history on the pitch, I have to mention the France-Germany (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RvuuiEgsY0) semi-final in '82. Leading 3-1 in extra-time, you can't be closer to play a WC final which would have been the first for France.
It changed the conception of the game in France I believe, before that it was first the beautiful football, then the result. Now it's the opposite.

Another one concerning French football is the defeat of France against Bulgaria in the last match of the WC qualifiers for the WC94 (1-2), being ousted from the World Cup on a last minute goal by Kostadinov when France needed only 1 point in the last 2 matches to qualify (France had lost against Israel 2-3 the previous match). Harsh. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU-sc_u8biY)

I'm glad you brought up '82. For me, that World Cup showcased the one of the saddest moments on the pitch.

Germany 0-0 Austria

I would be ashamed to be a fan of either nation on that day.

[jerrito]

The end of Van Basten's glorious career from being hacked so many times. :o

[SheffWedFan]

I was going to say Marc-Vivien Foe and Miklos Feher actually dying on the pitch. Scary.