When in 1966 Argentina obtained the right to host the 1978 World Cup, its people did not imagine that the Tango team would win its first world titles under the yoke of the dictatorial regime of the “Junta” which hid thousands.
Two years before the tournament kicked off, the country saw the rise of a military council led by General Jorge Videla, after a coup that ended President Isabel Peron’s rule amid acts of violence that left 10,000 killed, 15,000 missing and 8,000 taken prisoner, according to Amnesty International.
The prisoners of the “dirty war” were held in the infamous “ISMA” camp, near the Monumental stadium, scene of the final between Argentina and the Netherlands (3-1).
Some countries, especially European ones, have threatened a boycott, but the International Federation (FIFA), led by the Brazilian Joao Havelange, has insisted on hosting Argentina, after difficult and tiring negotiations with the military regime, which has promised that no security would have disturbed the finals .
Argentina coach Cesar Luis Menotti, who opposes the regime, commented before the final on the issue of propaganda through the “Albi Celeste” team: “We are the people, we belong to the working class, we are the victims, we represent the only thing legal in this country is ‘soccer’.”
He added: “We will not play for stadiums full of officers and soldiers, but we will play for the people. We will not defend dictatorship, but rather freedom.”
Kidnapping Cruyff?
Johan Cruyff was one of the best players in the world and led the Netherlands to second place 4 years ago, with a complete ball style that captivated minds and hearts.
However, the “Flying Dutchman” announced at the end of 1977 his international retirement at the age of 30, with a decision whose interpretations and motivations varied, between his support for the victims of the regime, his submission to the decisions of his wife , or his exposure to an attempted kidnapping.
Cruyff told Radio Catalunya that armed men entered his house at night trying to kidnap him for a ransom.
Somehow he managed to escape, but this incident changed his outlook on life: his apartment was placed under police surveillance for about 4 months and the guards accompanied his children to school.
His fear for his family may have prevented him from participating in the World Cup: “To compete in the World Cup you have to be 200% ready. There are times when there are other values in life.”
In another interview with a Peruvian newspaper, he said: “If the reason was political, I would not have played in Spain (with Barcelona) under the Franco dictatorship.”
The first Arab and African victory
The same system was adopted in 1974, with the two second round group champions qualifying for the final. FIFA approved penalty shootouts for the first time, but they didn’t see the light of day until 1982.
The French have forgotten their reserve blue shirt, 400km from the stadium for the match against Hungary, so they borrowed the shirts of the unknown Kimberley team, with green and white stripes, so that the start of the match is been delayed for three quarters of an hour.
And in a strange decision, Welsh referee Clive Thomas disallowed a goal Zico scored for Brazil against Sweden in the first round, blowing the final whistle immediately after the corner kick was taken.
In its first participation, Tunisia became the first African and Arab country to achieve a victory in the final, over Mexico 3-1, and almost tore up the qualification card if they beat West Germany, but finished (0-0 ).
Tariq Diab, the African player of the year in 1977, appreciated the accuracy of his passing with his left foot and manager Abdel Majeed Chetali said: “People used to make fun of African football, I think time has passed.” .
Half a dozen… and a conspiracy?
And while the Netherlands secured their final ticket, despite Cruyff’s retirement, by topping a group that included Italy, West Germany and Austria, second-placed Argentina’s qualification was controversial.
They drew with Brazil on points, then the latter beat Poland 3-1, which left the hosts faced with needing to beat Peru by four goals. But the score came out 6-0!
A bribe was suspected to have been paid to Argentine Rosario-born Peruvian goalkeeper Ramon Quiroga, but he flatly denied it. Others said Peruvian players were subjected to death threats and an Argentine state official said Peru obtained shipments of grain as part of a profit-making deal with the Videla regime.
He shaved off his mustache so he scored half a dozen
Argentina reached the final for the second time after the first edition in 1930, losing 2-4 against Uruguay, while the Netherlands faced the host country for the second time in a row.
In front of an enthusiastic Argentine crowd of some 72,000, the final was played under storms of scattered blue and white paper known as papilitos, the South American tradition of throwing confetti to show celebration, but which polluted the pitch.
Mario Kempes was the only Argentine professional outside the country, having twice won the La Liga top scorer title with Valencia.
He decided to shave his beard after fasting to score in the first two games, but failed again in the third. Menotti told him: “Why don’t you shave your moustache too, maybe your luck turns and you’ll remember how to score goals”.
Kempes shaved off his moustache, scoring 6 times in four games, to be crowned top scorer, with braces against Poland and Peru, and his most expensive against the Netherlands in the final.
After regular time ended in a 1-1 draw and Dutchman Rob Rensenbrink’s ball bounced off the post, Super Mario scored his second goal in the 105th minute, before Daniel Bertoni crushed the mills’ hopes and General Videla handed the cup to Captain Daniel Passarella in a festive atmosphere.
I didn’t touch the cup
“We couldn’t make a complete parade around the stadium, I didn’t even touch the trophy,” said Kempes, referring to Passarella’s accession to the trophy.
Rensenbrink instead lamented the opportunity to kill the game in regular time: “If the trajectory of my shot had been five centimeters different, we would have been world champions. Also, I would have been crowned top scorer and possibly the best player in the tournament. All in one game.”
“We were in a hotel outside Buenos Aires and they gave us a long tour around the stadium. The bus stopped in a village and people started banging on the windows shouting ‘Argentina, Argentina’ for twenty minutes we were stuck in the village,” recalled teammate Rod Kroll in The Cool Orangemen.
The angry Dutch refused to attend the closing ceremony: “Security was a disaster. The fans are crazy. What would have happened if we had won?”
“Not Pele”
Argentina relied on defense captain Passarella, defensive midfielder Osvaldo Adrilis, top scorer Cambes, as well as goalkeeper Ubaldo Fiol, nicknamed “El Pato” (the duck).
With his successes he contributed to Argentina’s rise to the title, but his participation was not certain because he refused to fill the role of substitute, which prompted Menotti to say: “Fyol can think he is Pelé, but it’s not.” An injury to starter Ugo Gatti eventually forced Menotti to recall Fuel.
Before Maradona’s golden boy era, Argentina won their first title thanks to teamwork, which Ardiles spoke of: “The defeat against Italy (in the first round) forced us to play in the second round in Rosario, who went there more than in Buenos Aires. We focused on the collective rather than the individual.” .
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