Game Of The Century: 1930 The Long Trek / 1934 A Political Triumph

1930: The Long Trek

Tiny Uruguay, proud of its footballing prowess, amazingly offered to foot every bill for this first World Cup, including travelling and hotel expenses for all the visiting teams. They decided to build a brand new stadium for the tournament. It was erected in Montevideo and appropriately named the Centenary Stadium. Incredibly it was built in only eight months and they had the rainy season to compete with in that period! The stadium stood at the end of 18 July Avenue, and staged its first game appropriately enough on that same date – 1930 – Uruguay playing Peru and winning 1-0 in front of a delirious Uruguayan crowd.

However, for Uruguay and FIFA there were only 13 entrants for this first world tournament. FIFA was disappointed and the Latin American federations were embittered and insulted, mainly because of the few European entries. Two months before the kick-off there were no European countries likely to be present at all. Eventually, Belgium, Romania, France and Yugoslavia (not exactly the élite of the European footballing nations) joined with Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay and the USA to present themselves in Uruguay. No direct, airline travel was available, so the gruelling journey for the Europeans was to take 14 days by boat. Officials and players were to be away at least ten weeks. King Carol of Romania proudly hand-picked his country’s team himself. He had always been known as a promoter of sport in his country. When he first came to the throne, he had granted an amnesty to all Romanian footballers. He also brought pressure to bear on various companies employing players for time off with pay – another feather in FIFA’s cap towards professionalism. France was gently pressurised into going by Rimet, and R. W. Seeldrayers, FIFA’s veteran Vice President, persuaded his Belgian Association to send a team. Yugoslavia eventually conceded to the call. The French, Romanians and Belgians travelled on the same boat, picking up the Brazilians en route; the Yugoslavian team had sailed two days earlier. On arrival, the European teams and their entourage were given a tumultuous welcome. Their participation was greatly appreciated and was to be justly remembered, although their standard of play was soon to be forgotten.

But the standard of football within the Uruguayan, Argentinian, American and Brazilian ranks was high. Uruguay were clear favourites with excessive talent and home advantage, though the Argentinians were expected to prove traditional, tough and attacking opponents. Brazil were the exciting Latin unknowns and the USA, in the main British with five Scots and an Englishman, were looked on to show strength and enterprise in their tiny shorts worn over strapping legs! The American players were so strongly built that they earned the nickname ‘The Shot-Putters’. The final became a repeat of the 1928 Olympic Final: the traditional enemies, Uruguay and Argentina, were to face each other. In Buenos Aires the atmosphere was electric and fans were swarming like ants on to the chartered packet-boats which carried them across the River Plate. As they left, fireworks lit the night sky and chants of ‘victory or death’ rang out.

Maximum security was required: soldiers circled the Centenary Stadium, the crowd was limited to 90,000 and as many as possible were searched for revolvers. Fixed bayonets kept the crowds outside moving and the referee, in cap and plus-fours, was given a bodyguard. Waves of excitement ebbed and flowed in and around the stadium. It was to be a fine and dramatic match which even had a major confrontation before the kick-off, with both teams insisting on playing with their own ball. Argentina won the toss for it, but Uruguay took the final 4-2.

The game had been good-tempered and so had the banner-waving crowd. The following day was declared a national holiday in Uruguay, the flags flew high, and the ship’s sirens sounded in the port. In Argentina, however, a mob stoned the Uruguayan consulate and police had to fire on a hostile crowd. Jules Rimet had the Golden Cup, designed by the French sculptor Abel Lafleur and costing 50,000 francs, presented to the jubilant Uruguayan team. FIFA must have felt satisfied and perhaps not a little relieved, for the first World Cup Tournament, against the odds, had been launched with considerable success.

1934: A Political Triumph

The 1934 tournament was a highly competitive one. Thirty-two nations entered and sixteen made the finals in Italy. For the only time in World Cup history the holders, Uruguay, did not defend their title. They were still embittered by the defection of the Europeans in 1930 and they were also suffering from one of their occasional players’ strikes. Italy planned the tournament thoroughly; they were determined to win and duly did so. With the eyes of the world focused on his country, Mussolini cleverly turned the event into one enormous advertisement for his fascist party, as Hitler was to do with the Nuremburg Olympics two years later. Mussolini’s team, the Azzurri (Blues), were in the care of Vittorio Pozzo, a great believer in the tactics and approach of the English to their football. He also created a great atmosphere of discipline and gritty determination among his team, an obvious echo of the fascist climate of the times. Pozzo called himself ‘king, with a strong hand’. He had to be to deal with his talented and highly temperamental players.

FIFA had granted Italy the final at the Stockholm Congress of 1932. It was obvious now that only countries with large resources could stage the finals, for the scale of the tournament was growing. Little Uruguay had managed to foot the bill in 1930 and make a satisfactory profit, but it is doubtful that they could have sustained the 1934 costs. The Italian federation promised that they were ‘capable of sustaining these burdens even in the case of an adverse balance... using the numerous and flourishing Italian cities, all provided with magnificent stadiums’. On Mussolini’s orders, the fascist government was determined to pick up the costs. The favourites for the final were Italy and the Austrian ‘Wonderteam’, even though it was past its peak. Austria was managed by Hugo Meisl, another advocate of English football. Meisl was a great friend of Herbert Chapman, the Yorkshireman who developed Arsenal FC. Pozzo had also admired and been linked with Manchester United.

Out of the 32 teams entered for the qualifying tournament, 22 were European; one team came from Africa and one from Asia, plus eight from the Americas. Britain was not represented. The United States were again present and these strapping gentlemen were soundly thrashed by Italy 7-1. The Brazilians with their glittering talent went out hastily to Spain 3-1; their period of glory was still to come. Little Sweden disposed of Argentina 3-2, Czechoslovakia marched steadily on and so did the talented Italians. Mussolini was continually present at the German and Italian matches, proud, upright, heavy chinned and always sporting his yachting cap. The expected final between Italy and Austria became the semi-final in Milan. To the fascist government’s delight Italy triumphed 1-0. In the other semi-final, Germany failed against Czechoslovakia 3-1; Mussolini showed a restrained and neutral appearance.
Apart from the many Czechs already in Rome, hundreds travelled by special trains and cars across the Alps. Parcels of gifts and souvenirs arrived for the Czech team, including 1700 telegrams. The support was insufficient. The final was resolved after extra time, Italy emerging victorious by two goals to one. However, the Czech team returned to Prague national heroes. Twenty thousand greeted them at the railway station and a civic reception was held. The republican state presented the players with gold medals.

For the Italians it was a victory they had made theirs even before the tournament commenced. More gold medals were distributed at Mussolini’s team reception, the golden statuette was on display and a rumoured 10,000 lire was given to each player. Italy had profited materially and politically and whatever reservations FIFA may have had over the political implications, the World Cup and all it involved was now becoming a hot commercial property.