How They Stole the Game by David Yallop

Author:David Yallop [Yallop, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780334028
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2016-06-29T04:00:00+00:00

Part Three

They were still counting the takings in Mexico when in November 1986 the first press conference for Italia 90 took place. The Sun King was present, which ensured that the theme was not football, but marketing the product. There was interminable talk about the marketing contracts, the Category One sponsors, who was going to supply what. The President of Italy, Francesco Cossiga, like all politicians, knew well the value of hosting the World Cup. Never mind if the streets of Rome, Florence, Milan and every other major city were awash with narcotics. Ignore the Mafia. Forget P2. Dismiss inflation along with poverty and unemployment. Roberto Baggio and Gianlucca Vialli will win the World Cup for us.

Cossiga demonstrated that Havelange was not the only President who could talk telephone numbers. He announced that the twelve cities where the games would be played would have the sum of $5 billion spent on them. This was to upgrade stadiums, and the entire communication infrastructure. It was a fantasy figure that existed only in the minds of the Italian government but it made a great many people happy, at least until Italy got knocked out of the tournament.

Money would certainly have to be allocated to deal with a recurring problem: those who would come to Italy seeking off-pitch violence. The hooligans.

With a European-based tournament the problem of violent criminals causing havoc throughout the World Cup was that much greater than Mexico 86 and there a limited threat had caused the government to bring out the tanks when England played Argentina. This time FIFA and the Italians decided that the answer to the English criminals was to quarantine them during the opening round. Sardinia would play host to England. That just left the Dutch, the Germans, the Italians and the lunatics from the other countries to sort out.

Further evidence was forthcoming during the qualifying rounds that illegal behaviour was not confined to off-the-pitch activities. Nothing had changed it seemed in some countries since Rous and his FIFA officials had concerned themselves about dubious activities in Latin America.

Brazil v Chile, their first qualifying match, became two matches, one involving two teams of eleven players, the other involving two managers. Played in Santiago, the match was drawn 1–1, the contest between the two managers ended with the Chilean manager Orlando Aravena being removed by the police and the Brazilian manager Sebastio Lazaroni apparently going violently insane.

Before the second leg in Brazil’s Maracaná stadium Rojas, the Chilean captain and goalkeeper, warned, ‘At the first sign of trouble, we’re coming off the field.’

With twenty minutes left Brazil were leading 1–0. Among the watching one hundred and fifty thousand spectators a flare suddenly went into orbit and dropped in front of the Chilean goal. A moment later and Rojas could be seen laid out on the ground. He was holding his head. He was carried off the pitch soaked in blood. The rest of his team came with him and refused to return. The game was abandoned.

A place in the World Cup Finals hung in the balance.

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