50 Events That Shocked Football

The respected magazine World Soccer are running a number of articles this year in conjunction with their 50th anniversary. Below they have selected the most scandalous and tragic events of the past 50 years. This article has been copied and printed from World Soccer magazine.



1961: Green Cross Plane Disaster

A plane crash in the Las Lastimas mountains in Chile accounted for 24 players from the Green Cross team of Santiago. Four years later the club, which was founded in 1916, merged with Deportes Temuco and was renamed Green Cross Temuco.


1962: Battle of Santiago

England's Ken Aston was the referee for this unsavoury encounter between World Cup hosts Chile and Italy. The first foul, and subsequent booking, came after just 12 seconds. Eight minutes later the culprit, Giorgio Ferrini of Italy, had been sent off. Chile's Leonel Sanchez then produced a left hook to floor Italy's Humberto Maschio, but amazingly he stayed on the pitch. However, he got his come-uppance a few minutes later when his neck met Mario David's studs. The Italian was instantly dismissed and so it went on, until Chile eventually won 2-0 against nine-man Italy.


1964: Sheffield Wednesday Betting Scandal

Sheffield Wednesday players Tony Kay, David Layne and Peter Swan were caught up in the biggest betting scandal to hit English football. In December 1962 they bet on their side to lose a match against Ipswich Town. The three were acting on the instigation of former Everton player Jimmy Gauld, who eventually sold his story to a Sunday tabloid, framing the three Wednesday players in the process. All four were imprisoned and banned from football for life.


1964: Riot in Lima

More than 300 supporters were killed and another 500 injured following the decision by the referee to disallow a Peru goal with only a few minutes left to play in their Olympic Games qualifier against Argentina. The enraged home fans went crazy at the decision and many people were trampled on in the ensuing stampede. The lack of security and poor crowd control seemed to escalate the trouble. It is one of the worst disasters the game has witnessed.


1966: Pele Kicked Out of World Cup

Pele went into the 1966 competition far from fit and the opposition took advantage. In the first game, against Bulgaria, he was on the receiving end of some coarse challenges. Despite scoring and helping Brazil to a 2-0 win, Pele missed the second match due to injury. He returned for the final group game against Portugal but had not fully recovered and his opponents targeted him, virtually kicking him and Brazil, out of the tournament.


1966: Ramsey Rants at Argentina

England won their World Cup quarter-final thanks to a Geoff Hurst goal, but it was manager Alf Ramsey who made the headlines when he labelled the Argentina team, who had captain Antonio Rattin sent off, as "animals" in a post-match press conference. At the end of the game Ramsey prevented his players from swapping shirts with their opponents.


1968: Superclasico Disaster

Various theories exist as to the cause of 70 deaths at the El Monumental stadium during the derby game between River Plate and Boca Juniors. One is that River fans were trying to get into the Boca section of the ground, causing the away fans to stampede. Others claimed that fans were crushed against a locked gate in the stadium. A third suggested that Boca fans set fire to River Plate scarves and began throwing them from the upper to the lower tier, causing those below to panic, while an ex-River president blamed the police for repressing Boca fans after they had been pelted with bottles of urine. After a three year investigation, no one was found guilty.


1969: The Soccer War

A four day war, known as the "Soccer War", was fought between central American neighbours El Salvador and Honduras following a World Cup qualifier. Both countries were already in dispute over political matters and this coincided with crowd riots during the game in San Salvador. On July14th, 1969, the Salvadoran army launched military attacks on their neighbours, forcing the Organisation of American States to negotiate a cease fire five days later. The dispute was eventually settled in 1980.


1969: The Strongest Perish

Eight years on from the Green Cross plane crash in Chile, 25 players and officials from a top Bolivian side, The Strongest, died when their plane came down in the Andes.


1970: Bobby Moore Arrested

Just prior to England's defence of the World Cup in Mexico, captain Bobby Moore was arrested and accused of stealing a bracelet from a hotel shop on a pre-tournament trip to Colombia. Moore and Bobby Charlton had gone to buy a present for Charlton's wife and as they left, the shop owner and his assistant called the police who took statements from both players and placed the England captain under house arrest. Moore was later released to play in the tournament but wasn't officially cleared until 1975, despite charges being dropped in 1972.


1971: Ibrox Disaster

After Celtic had taken an 89th minute lead in January's Old Firm game, many Rangers supporters in the crowd of 80,000 started to leave the ground. But then Colin Stein scored a last minute equaliser for the home side and, with now excited home fans in mid-departure, the barriers on stairway 13 began to give way, causing a massive pile-up of spectators which resulted in 66 deaths and over 200 injuries. The tragedy led to the introduction of a safety licence system for Scottish stadiums in 1975.


1974: Italy Offer Bribe

With Italy needing a point from their last group game of the World Cup finals against Poland, their opponents, who had already qualified for the next round, accused them of offering money to lose the match. The Poles were having none of it and won the game 2-1, eliminating the 1970 finalists.


1974: Lobo-Solti Case

Juventus escaped punishment following accusations that prior to a European Cup semi-final against Derby County at the Baseball Ground, they enlisted the help of a go-between, Deszo Solti, to try and bribe match referee Francisco Marques Lobo. Juventus won the tie 3-1 on aggregate.


1978: Willie Johnston Scandal

After Scotland's humiliating opening defeat to Peru in the 1978 World Cup, midfielder Archie Gemmill was asked to provide the mandatory sample, but because he was so hydrated, winger Willie Johnston took his place. His sample tested positive for the stimulant fencamfamin, contained in an over the counter medicine that Johnston had been taking. Despite the SFA keeping the story under wraps and Johnston denying any allegations, it eventually broke on a television news bulletin. From then on a bitter Johnston was banned and sent home in disgrace, claiming that he had been made a scapegoat by FIFA.


1978: Argentina Beat Peru

World Cup hosts Argentina went into their final second phase group game against Peru needing to win by four clear goals to progress to the final at the expense of Brazil. Despite Peru's Juan Munante hitting a post early on, the home side took the lead after 21 minutes through Mario Kempes and by half-time Alberto Tarantini had added a second. After the interval Argentina scored four more. Rumours were rife that Peru, whose keeper Ramon Quiroga was born in Argentina, had been bribed but these accusations cound not be proved.


1978: Scottish Referee Suspended

John Gordon, Scotland's referee at the 1978 World Cup, plus linesmen Rollo Kyle and David McCartney were suspended by the Scottish FA after they accepted presents up to the value of £1,000 from Milan prior to a UEFA Cup tie against Levski Spartak. Milan, who eventually won the tie 4-1 on aggregate, were fined £8,000 by UEFA.


1980: Totonero Betting Scandal

Paolo Rossi was the highest profile player of more than 30 who were banned for their part in match fixing on behalf of an illegal betting syndicate operating in Italian football. After the investigation, Milan and Lazio were relegated, while Rossi was banned for two years.


1982: West Germany v Austria

Having lost their opening game to Algeria, West Germany were in danger of an early exit from the 1982 World Cup. A 1-0 win in their last group match against Austria would see both nations tied with Algeria (who had played their last game the previous day) on four points each. The North Africans, however, would go out due to an inferior goal difference. Horst Hrubesch scored after just 10 minutes and the remaining 80 were tedious in the extreme as both sides played out what was probably the most negative game in World Cup history.


1982: Schumacher Fouls Battiston

In the 65th minute of the World Cup semi final in Seville, with the score at 1-1, West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher charged off his line and, making no attempt to play the ball, clattered into France full back Patrick Battiston. Amazingly, Schumacher didn't receive a yellow card, let alone a red. Battiston, meanwhile, was helped from the pitch and needed oxygen in the dressing room before going to hospital. The game finished 3-3 and Schumacher, who shouldn't have been on the pitch, saved France's last penalty in the shoot out before Horst Hrubesch sealed a place in the Final.


1982: Moscow Stadium Disaster

It is thought hundreds of fans perished at a European Cup tie between Spartak Moscow and Haarlem of Holland. The fatalities occurred when fans who were leaving near the end of the game tried to return after a late goal had been scored. The horrendous crush was exacerbated by police pushing some of the supporters down a narrow staircase. It is believed that a total of 340 people were killed, but Moscow officials claimed only 61 died and that the police did not push any fans.


1985: Heysel Disaster

Thirty-nine people lost their lives when a wall collapsed at the decrepit stadium in Brussels that was hosting the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. An hour before kick-off trouble flared in the "neutral" section at the end of the ground in which Liverpool fans were housed. Some Juventus fans had tickets for that area and as Liverpool fans went to confront them, the wall collapsed. The game still went ahead, mainly because UEFA hoped the football would cause a distraction to the fighting, and Juventus won 1-0. English clubs were banned from European competition for five years.


1985: Bradford Fire

Eleven thousand supporters went to Valley Parade, Bradford, on May 11th, 1985, to celebrate the club winning the English Third Division title; 56 never watched a game again, killed by a fire that engulfed the antiquated wooden stand in a matter of minutes. Another 265 people were injured, but the fatalities could have been even worse if it hadn't been for the bravery of local police officers and 22 fans who helped pull injured victims from the blaze. Following the Popplewell Report a year later, legislation was brought in to make football stadiums in England all-seated.


1986: Maradona's "Hand of God"

The little Argentina captain Diego Maradona virtually led his country to World Cup glory single handedly in Mexico, but not before his side won the most controversial of quarter finals, against England. The game turned in the 51st minute when Maradona embarked on one of his famous dribbles. Looking to play a quick one-two on the edge of the penalty area, the ball ricocheted off the foot of defender Terry Fenwick and looped into the air. Maradona had continued his run and out-jumped goalkeeper Peter Shilton to flick the ball into the net with his hand, conning Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser in the process. He later described the goal as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God."


1986: Roma European Ban

Roma president Dino Viola was banned for four years, and his club barred from Europe for a year, after he was found guilty of attempting to bribe the referee in their 1984 European Cup semi-final against Dundee United. Roma won 3-2 on aggregate.


1988: Hungarians Arrested

International full back Sandor Sallai and former national coach Kalman Meszoly were the highest profile names to be arrested in a match fixing scandal that engulfed Hungarian football. More than 40 players, officials and referees were charged and six leading clubs investigated in what was the third scandal to hit Hungarian soccer in a decade.


1989: Hillsborough Disaster

On FA Cup semi-final day, 96 supporters lost their lives and many others were injured. Liverpool fans had been entering the Leppings Lane end and, 10 minutes before kick-off, there was a serious case of over crowding on the terracing, which was divided into five small pens by steel fencing. The two sections behind the goal were full, but fans outside were still trying to get into the stadium. Police gave the order to open an exit gate to alleviate the crush outside, which led to an estimated 2,000 fans heading for the two pens behind the goal. Supporters at the front of those pens were crushed against the fencing and, though some managed to escape onto the pitch and the tier of the seating above the terrace, many perished.


1989: Rojas Feigns Injury

With 20 minutes to go, Chile were losing 1-0 away to Brazil in a World Cup qualifier and defeat would see them eliminated. In a hostile atmosphere, a firework was thrown from the crowd towards Chile keeper Roberto Rojas. Despite it landing a metre away, he fell to the floor with blood streaming from his head. He was carried off the pitch and the match was abandoned. Video evidence later proved Rojas had inflicted a wound himself, on orders from the touchline. FIFA awarded the game to Brazil and Rojas, Aravena and the team doctor Daniel Rodriguez, were banned for life.


1992: Corsica Stadium Disaster

The Furiani Stadium on the island of Corsica was the venue for a French Cup semi-final between Bastia and Marseille. In an attempt to double the seating capacity in the small ground, a temporary structure was erected. However, before the game started, the stand collapsed, killing 18 people and injuring more than 2,000.


1993: Marseille Scandal

Soon after Marseille became the first French side to win the Champions League, club president Bernard Tapie was found guilty of bribing opponents Valenciennes to throw a game that secured his side the league and gave them extra time to prepare for the final against Milan. OM were stripped of their league title, relegated for financial misdemeanours and expelled from Europe. They were however, allowed to keep their Champions League crown.


1993: Zambia Plane Crash

A military aircraft carrying the Zambia national team to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier crashed shortly after taking off, following a refuelling stop in Gabon, killing all 30 people on board. It is thought that the pilot, who had detected engine problems earlier in the flight, accidentally shut down the wrong engine causing the aircraft to lose all power.


1994: Maradona's World Cup Exit

Three years after he had fled Italy after failing a dope test, Diego Maradona played for Argentina at the World Cup, where he famously screamed into TV cameras after scoring against Greece and creating the winner against Nigeria. But on the eve of the game against Bulgaria, he tested positive for ephedrine and was sent home, never played for Argentina again - though he did return to watch the remainder of the tournament from the press box.


1994: Escobar Murdered

Colombia defender Andres Escobar was shot dead in Medellin on his return from the 1994 World Cup in the USA. His crime was scoring the own goal that gave the host nation a 2-1 win and eliminated the Colombians from the tournament. It is thought that drug barons and gangs were behind the killing.


1994-95: English Season of Sleaze

It was a season to forget in English football. Goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was charged with match fixing allegations after he was the victim of a newspaper sting, hooliganism re-appeared when the Republic of Ireland v England friendly in Dublin had to be abandoned due to fighting at Lansdowne Road, and Arsenal manager George Graham was sacked after he admitted to taking a bung of £425,000 from agent Rune Hauge following the signing of Danish midfielders John Jensen and Pal Lydersen.


1995: Cantona Kung-Fu Kick

Having been sent off in a Premier League game for Manchester United at Crystal Palace, Eric Cantona was leaving the field when a Palace fan allegedly shouted insults at him. Instead of continuing towards the dressing rooms, Cantona turned and leapt at the startled fan, attacking him chest high with his right boot, before police and stewards eventually pulled him away. Cantona was banned from playing football for eight months, arrested by the police and sentenced to 120 hours community service.


1996: Guatemala Stadium Disaster

At least 83 people died and over 150 were injured when supporters stampeded at the Mateo Flores National Stadium in Guatemala City during a game against Costa Rica. The disaster occurred when fans outside the ground tried to get in by kicking down a door. This caused the fans inside the stadium to fall forward into the lower tier, where they were crushed at the front of the stand. FIFA said that the probable cause of the disaster was forged tickets that were in circulation before the game.


1998: Ronaldo World Cup Final Saga

One of the biggest mysteries in football history occurred an hour before the 1998 World Cup Final when the Brazil team sheet was handed to the match referee without the name of Ronaldo on it. However, just before the teams came out for the kick off, his name had reappeared on the team sheet. Rumours included the other Brazilian players had refused to take to the pitch without him, his sponsors Nike had insisted he play despite an alleged injury, and there were even whispers that he had been poisoned amid revelations of his love life. Eventually it was revealed that he had been rushed to hospital suffering convulsions and sickness. Although he made it back in time and was cleared to play, Brazil lost 3-0.


2001: Ellis Park Disaster

Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg was already full to its 60,000 capacity for the match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, but there were thousands more fans still trying to get in when a Pirates goal sparked a crowd surge which resulted in the death of 43 people. It was also thought that untrained security guards firing tear gas made the situation worse.


2001: Ghana Stadium Disaster

The worst stadium disaster in Africa occurred at the Accra Sports Stadium. Hearts of Oak scored two late goals to beat Asante Kotoko 2-1 and, at the final whistle, some Kotoko fans began throwing plastic seats onto the pitch. When police fired tear gas in response, a stampede resulted in 127 people being crushed to death.


2001: Dutch Nandrolone Scandal

Edgar Davids, who was with Juventus at the time, and Barcelona's Frank De Boer both tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in the early part of 2001. De Boer, was initially suspended for a year, but that was overturned soon after and he was allowed to start playing again. Davids also had a ban overturned. Later that year, defender Jaap Stam also tested positive for nandrolone and was banned for four months.


2002: FIFA Presidential Election

Sepp Blatter faced the biggest battle of his career to stay in charge of world governing body FIFA when he was challenged for the presidency by UEFA boss Lennart Johansson. Blatter demonstrated ruthless control of the FIFA machinery and fought allegations of financial mismanagement and corruption to beat Johansson - but not before FIFA's dirty laundry had been washed in public.


2003: Foe Death

Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe suddenly collapsed in the semi-final of the Confederations Cup against Colombia in France. He lay motionless and was eventually carried off the pitch as medics attempted to resuscitate him. But it was to no avail and he died of what was believed to be a hereditary heart condition.


2004: Juventus Drugs Scandal

Juve's dominance of Italian and European football came into question when a court sentenced club doctor Riccardo Agricola to 22 months in prison for supplying players with performance enhancing drugs between 1994 and 1998. The evidence uncovered 280 different types of drug. Although none were on the FIFA banned list, it was enough to cast suspicion.


2006: Robert Hoyzer Match Fixing

German referee Hoyzer was jailed for fixing matches for a betting syndicate. He first came under suspicion during a German Cup tie when, with Hamburg leading 2-0, he sent off one of their players and awarded two dubious penalties to the home side, Paderborn, who eventually won 4-2.


2006: Calciopoli

In the biggest scandal ever to hit Italian football, several major clubs were accused of fixing matches through the selection of favourable referees. Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were all handed severe punishments, which were reduced on appeal, while Juventus were stripped of their 2005 and 2006 league titles and relegated to Serie B.


2006: Warner's World Cup Riches

FIFA vice-president Jack Warner came under fire, not for the first time, when Trinidad & Tobago's entire 2006 World Cup allocation went to a travel agency owned by his family. Warner, his wife and two sons were all directors of a company called Simpaul who, it was revealed, were not selling individual match tickets to their nation's games in Germany, but instead offered "travel packages" that included tickets and accomodation, but no travel, at a profit of more than £1,600 per package.


2006: Zidane Uses His Head

Having put France ahead against Italy in the World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane head-butted Marco Materazzi after the Italian allegedly said something about Zidane's family. The incident seemed to be missed and it was only when fourth official, Luis Medina Cantalejo, notified referee Horacio Elizondo that Zidane was shown the red card.


2009: Ivory Coast Stadium Disaster

The Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium in Abidjan had passed a FIFA safety test prior to the World Cup qualifiers, but that did not prevent 22 people dying at the game between Ivory Coast and Malawi. People trying to get in without tickets were blamed as fans were crushed against a wall. Unbelievably, the match was still played, with Ivory Coast winning 5-0.


2009: Henry's Hand Denies Irish

With the aggregate scores level at 1-1, and in the 13th minute of extra time in their 2010 World Cup qualifying play-off with the Republic of Ireland, France captain Thierry Henry used his arm and his hand to control the ball before passing for William Gallas, who scored to win a place in South Africa.


2009: North African Turmoil

A World Cup qualifier between hosts Egypt and bitter rivals Algeria, which was followed by a play-off between the two in Sudan, saw team buses being attacked, players injured, and clashes between fans - not just in Cairo and Khartoum, but also in Marseille, Paris and London.


2010: Togo Bus Attack

Prior to the opening match at the African Nations Cup in Angola, the Togo team came under fire from gunmen in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda. Assistant coach Amelete Abalo and Togan press officer Stanislas Ocloo were both killed. Togo withdrew from the tournament.

 

I agree. I thought they seemed to focus too much on the last decade, and in particular the last few years, of the fifty year span they used. Almost like they were trying to cram too much from recent events into the list.

 

Isn't that this one?

1969: The Soccer War

A four day war, known as the "Soccer War", was fought between central American neighbours El Salvador and Honduras following a World Cup qualifier. Both countries were already in dispute over political matters and this coincided with crowd riots during the game in San Salvador. On July14th, 1969, the Salvadoran army launched military attacks on their neighbours, forcing the Organisation of American States to negotiate a cease fire five days later. The dispute was eventually settled in 1980.