Joe Havelange: 66 and 74 World Cups were fixed to favor the home team.

In the hypothetical scenario that a few countries fix the whole event from start to finish (with results being decided beforehand), it would still mean the vast majority of participants don't.

 

Just about every World Cup? That's not what I'm saying. Me, I think the 1978 one was fixed, the 1966 wasn't fixed to the same level but was influenced by bias, and the 2002 had corrupt referees favoring South Korea. That's about it, that I know (or believe). There were many Cups that did not seem fixed at all.

 

I live in Kingston. I always heard sports commentators joking that Prendegast is a Brazilian fan and he helped Brazil but I didn't take them seriously but then in 2008 I went to that sports bar and saw Ronaldo's jersey on display.

 

Thank you.

 

One of the most often referenced calls from that run was the goal waived off late, on the out of bounds or not play. Look closely at the replay and you'll note that the S. Korean keeper made no effort to play the shot because of the whistle. If he had, there's a very good chance there's a save there. I'm not sympathetic to Portugal complaints either, they went thug when things didn't go their way. As for the Italian complaints, the one goal appears offside, and it does look as if Totti was involved in an incidental contact play that shouldn't have been whistled either way (open to debate), and I'm disinclined to support a side that historically gets plenty of bogus calls to begin with (just the next cup, they'd win their Round of 16 game on the basis of a PK earned via dive-player deliberately dribbling into a player on the ground, then going log roll after playing his contact into him, utterly absurd), and is notorious for its share of diving, and thus earned a rep for it, which btw, is almost never punished, but nearly always rewarded.

Lastly, considering how consistently the powers do get the bogus called, and I never see these epic diatribes about it, it's interesting to see how vociferous the rage was, in the rare instance in which a underdog for once, got the call.

I do a agree they got plenty of suspicious calls, however most of the teams that complained are notorious cheats to begin with, pot meet kettle, and secondly, many of the issues most often cited, aren't legit (the offside goal, the Spain goal scored late, where the keeper didn't play the ball because of the whistle, something never mentioned in "joke run" commentaries on S. Korea, and the goal disallowed, maybe the whistle was wrong (sure as hell looks like it), but it is certainly no fait accomplish that the Spanish players goal would have been saved, as again, the goalie stopped on the play).

 

Yeah great point. In a perfect world there would be no favoritism. It's funny how people make a big deal about South Korea's obvious cheating, which is justified in my opinion, but stay quiet when the big dogs get favorable calls. Garbage like this shouldn't be a part of the game.

 

Claims of fixing at the World Cup are not new. In 1954 W. Germany beat the great Hungary team in the final in suspicious circumstances after Hungary had demolished W. Germany in the earlier rounds. Some players ended up with new Mercedes cars.

PH

 

They also said about Italy's victory in 1934. I do not know.... I was not around back then.

 

Well, at least FairFootball doesn't stay quiet about anything.

Absolutely.

 

You can be sure about it. That one is certain. Even the italians admit that much. I've met a few (admittedly, very educated) italian football fans and their attitude was no comment. They didn't quite acknowledge it but didn't deny it either.

 

Excuse me, but what does the new Mercedes car have to do with anything ? They could have got it just because they were world champs.
Or did I misunderstand you and the players who got Mercedes cars were hungarian ?
(Not that I imply in any way that that one wasn't fixed too.)

 

Most of them are. Not necessarily scripted but ref errors, whether honest or not, influence the final result and decide the champ, or at least play a big part in it.
That said, people still watch it because A. they don't believe it, B. they don't know from the start that it's gonna be skewed against their own team and C. because they're addicted. And the philosophy behind it is, the world sucks, football sucks too but when it doesn't suck it's too beautiful not to watch it. Which is certainly true to a great extent.

 

1974 was not fixed.

1978 however...

 

There is a subtle difference between fixing and rigging.

The 1974 'semi-final' between Brazil and Netherlands was led by a West German referee, appointed at a tricky moment in time (at the moment of appointment, the hosts were steering to a final appearance; at the moment of the match itself, one finalist was already known). How the match developed is now widely known: a violent hacking match, with as result that both sides saw crucial injuries and/or suspensions, whoever would win the game.

Imagine if Brazil makes the final in 2014, and the other game between Argentina and [insert name] is led by a Brazilian referee. With as side-result of the game numerous suspensions and injuries. It is at the very least touchy and tricky coincidence of events, not always accepted (that's why, as current policy, referees of countries proceeding to the last eight are sent home).

It leaves also room for suspicion that the police and secret service alike bugged the hotel of other countries, including the Netherlands. Or how (supporting) staff was sent home, ordered by the police without filed charge or actual courtroom case; and the various battles played out in the media.

For a counter-view:
http://m.espn.go.com/soccer/story?lang=EN&storyId=300612

What every host also seems to do is playing with the accreditations and tickets, even though tickets can be obtained through the black market. Also back then in the 1960s (also hotels and venue assignments).