1998 World Cup: War on a footbll pitch

Ever since Neanderthal No.8 first stubbed his toe on a rock, grunted and kicked it at the head of his nearest enemy, football has been one of the most popular pastimes of homo sapiens—team rivalry, competition and success being the ingredients which have been successfully passed down through our DNA over the centuries.

In Roman times pig and sheep bladders were kicked around for amusement (perhaps when they ran out of Christians) and a similar game Calcio (as soccer is now known in Italy) was the popular Florentine version played in town squares by merchants and bankers on their lunch break.

Football was officially re-“invented” by the British in the 19th century and the rules were laid down in 1846. Those who wanted to still be able to pick up the ball and run with it, formed their own group, took the town's name and created Rugby. The rest became the Football Association—the game was Association football, which became Assoc. football, to be known furthermore as ‘Soc'cer.

Like any other human activity, politics has played a huge part in the game, with many ideological and territorial conflicts being played out on the field. Nations embroiled in political conflict have boycotted matches as a mark of protest. Many astute or perhaps desperate political administrations have used the game to display the state of their nation through its prowess on the field. And matches themselves have provided ample ammunition for smouldering embers of difference to burst into flames.

The opportunities for propaganda on and off the field during an event as large as a World Cup, with all its media coverage, have always been too tempting for the politician to pass over. Outside of the game itself, the competition over who will host the biggest football event in the world involves heated political negotiation. The sheer organisation of the event, which will this year attract one quarter of the world's population as viewers, must inevitably involve political decisions. The fiasco this year over ticket allocation is a classic example of authorities buying the love of their home voters/fans. But it means a hefty penalty for the French authorities, to be refereed by the EU.

Each World Cup has been played out against a background of political intrigue.

1930 Uruguay—First World Cup
Uruguay won, beating Argentina 4-2. 70 goals, 18 games, average 3.89, attendance 434,500. 13 Nations in all took part in a competition dominated by South America. Most European countries refused to take part because of arguments over the distance to travel. England, Scotland and Wales had left FIFA in 1928 and weren't eligible. Uruguay and Argentina were not friendly and fought over who should supply the ball for the final. When Uruguay won, their consulate in Argentina was attacked by an angry mob.

1934 Italy—First World Cup where qualification was necessary through a preliminary round
Italy won, beating Czechoslovakia 2-1. 70 goals, 17 games, average 4.11, attendance 395,000.
16 teams qualified for the Finals, in a competition dominated by Europe and Fascism. Most South Americans boycotted the event, in return for European boycotting the previous year.
Mussolini used the competition for propaganda purposes parading himself and his troops before and after each match. Before the final match started, he organised two hours of chanting of ‘Italia Duce!' to the purple robed fascist leader as he sat in his box.

1938 France—First World Cup to automatically qualify the holder and host for the Finals
Italy won again, beating Hungary 4-2. 84 goals, 18 games, average 4.66, attendance 483,000.
15 teams took part in the Finals of a competition dominated by the threat of World War. Austria had the best European team but was annexed by Germany and their team was disbanded as the World Cup started. The Spanish Civil War was also in full swing. The Competition was mostly boycotted again by South America, still annoyed at the poor showing by Europeans in 1930.

1950 Brazil—First World Cup to include a British team
Uruguay won again, beating Argentina 2-1. 88 goals, 22 games, average 4.66, attendance 337,000.
13 took part in the first post-war competition, which marked the return of the South American nations. The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro with a capacity of 220,000—the biggest in the world—was barely finished in time for the event which was hastily organised. The British overcame their difficulties and joined in.

1954 Switzerland—First World Cup to include an Asian team
West Germany won, beating Hungary 3-2. This is still the highest scoring World Cup ever with 140 goals in 26 matches, an average of 5.38 goals per match. Attendance 943,000.
16 out of 35 competing nations reached the finals of the first real global World Cup, the first not to be boycotted by any country. However it was a particularly violent event with more injuries to players off than on the pitch. When Brazil beat Hungary in the quarterfinals, bottles flew and a full-scale brawl erupted in the changing rooms.

1958 Sweden—First World Cup for Pele, aged 17
Brazil won, beating Sweden 5-2. 126 goals, 35 games, average 3.6, attendance 868,000
16 out of 53 competing nations reached the finals. England were weakened by the fact that some star players were lost in the Munich air disaster the previous year. Brazil became the only team to win the world cup on a different continent.

1962 Chile—First World Cup where goal difference made a difference
Brazil won again, beating Czechoslovakia 3-1. 89 goals, 32 games, average 2.78, attendance 776,000.
56 teams battled it out with 16 reaching the finals in a controversial competition. It was held in Chile, which was still recovering from several devastating earthquakes and was a very impoverished country. Pele's 2nd World Cup appearance was cut short after injury in the first round match against Czechoslovakia, in a tournament dominated by ‘over physical' football.

1966 England—First World Cup/Major Event to be televised
England won, beating West Germany 4-2 after extra time. 89 goals, 32 games, average 2.78, attendance 1,671,677.
70 teams participated and were whittled down to 16. 17 African nations boycotted in protest over a new FIFA rule, which stipulated that they had to beat the winner of the Asia or Oceania zone before qualifying for the finals. Brazil bowed out in the first round where Pele was injured, again a victim of ‘over physical' play. Italian journalists were critical of the host country's organisation and the Italy v Chile match was dubbed the ‘Battle of Santiago' after players were escorted off the pitch by police.

1970 Mexico—First World Cup to include an African Nation
Brazil's 3rd win, beating Italy 4-1. 95 goals, 32, games, average 2.96, attendance 1,673, 975
An all time high of 71 nations participating and a final of 16. Mexico built the Aztec stadium for the event, where Pele was awarded a 3rd medal for his last World Cup match with Brazil, taking home the Jules Rimet cup for good. Franz Beckenbauer made history by finishing the Germany-England semi-final with his arm in a sling. Most players suffered the effects of heat and altitude. Television began to dictate the timing of matches to be at noon with games played in over 100F.

1974 West Germany—First World Cup with a group system in the 1st and 2nd rounds and colour TV
West Germany won beating the Netherlands 2-1. 97 goals, 38 games, average 2.55, attendance 1,774,022.
98 nations fought to become the 16 qualifiers. The Dutch displayed their ‘total football' style for the first time bringing them through group A without conceding a goal. They lost however in the finals due to West German resilience. The new FIFA World Cup trophy was awarded for the first time after the final—the first match to be played under blue skies that year—only to be stolen again soon afterwards.

1978 Argentina—First World Cup for Arab nations
Argentina won beating the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time. 102 goals, 32 games, average 2.68, attendance 1,610, 215
This event almost didn't happen because of a near total boycott of Argentina due to its controversial political climate with human rights violations under General Videla who had taken power after a military coup in 1976. Peru lost to Argentina 6-0 in a pathetic game and evidence has subsequently proven that the Peruvians were bribed to lose by the Argentine government. Michel Platini played for France and is now on the organising committee for France 98.

1982 Spain—First World Cup to include 24 countries in the finals
Italy won again, beating West Germany 3-1. 146 goals, 52 games, average 2.54, attendance 1,856,277
24 teams were included after pressure by African and Asian nations who felt the previous set up lessened their chances of getting to the finals. Controversy erupted during the France v Kuwait tie when someone in the crowd blew a whistle. The Kuwaitis stopped, the French scored and the Kuwaitis walked off the field furious. Only Crown Prince Fahid could persuade them to come back and lose. Maradona got sent off during his first World cup.

1986 Mexico—First World Cup to be won by God
Argentina beat West Germany 3-2. 132 goals, 52, games, average 2.54, attendance 2,407,431.
The 24 teams sweltered again in the high altitude midday sun thanks to the power of television. There were few upsets and little excitement in the first rounds. Then three of the quarterfinals were decided by penalties while the fourth was decided by God who helped Maradona score against England—controversially.

1990 Italy—First World Cup for Republic of Ireland
West Germany won, beating Argentina 1-0. 115 goals, 52 games, average 2.21, attendance, 2,517,348.
The 24 teams who got to Italy were lucky. Others weren't, including Mexico who were expelled when they were found to have used over age players in FIFA competitions Chile also got the boot after their Oscar-hopeful keeper made a botched attempt to get Brazil banned by feigning serious injury by a Brazilian fan. Argentina played dirty and after losing Maradona they refused to shake the hand of the FIFA president.

1994 USA—First World Cup where Republic of Ireland qualified but didn't reach the quarter finals
Brazil win for the 4th time, barely beating Italy by penalty kicks (3-2) after extra time. 141 goals, 52 games, average 2.71, attendance 3,587,538
The 24 teams enjoyed good facilities in the US even if soccer was very new to the hosts. 42 year old Roger Milla of Cameroon became the oldest man ever to score in the finals. Columbia were under huge pressure from their fans to do well. Such was the pressure that a fortnight after returning bottom of their group, Escobar, a defender who scored an own goal against the US, was shot dead.

1998 France
A fiasco over the paltry number of tickets available to foreign fans, Algerian bombers caught trying sabotage the event, French truck drivers planning their largest protest ever and all this before it even started.