Soccer may be the “beautiful game,” but the dark side of the sport has reared its head all too often at FIFA World Cup matches.
Four years ago in South Africa, Spain earned legions of admirers as their attractive passing style helped them to their maiden World Cup. However, Spain’s victory was nearly derailed by their bitterly contested final against the Netherlands, in which some Dutch players tried to subdue their rivals with an overtly physical approach.
The Netherlands’ Nigel de Jong was lucky to stay on the pitch after planting his studs in Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso’s chest in a wild, karate-like tackle, while Dutchman Johnny Heitinga’s aggression saw him join the “elite” band of players expelled from a World Cup final for two yellow cards.
Photo: Reuters
In all, there were 47 fouls and 14 yellow cards in the 2010 final — more than in any other game in that year’s tournament — but in many ways, the final was tame compared with some of the episodes in the event’s wilder early history.
Since Peru’s Placido Galindo became the first player in the tournament’s history to be dismissed at the 1930 World Cup, 159 players have followed suit. However, it was not until 1938 that a World Cup match was branded a “battle,” when Brazil and Czechoslovakia collided in Bordeaux, France.
A bruising quarter-final ended with three players sent off, Czechoslovakia forward Oldrich Nejedly suffering a broken leg and goalie Frantisek Planicka a broken arm.
Brazil were in another notorious brawl in Switzerland in the 1954 quarter-final against Hungary, immortalized as the “Battle of Berne.”
Hungary’s 4-2 victory has become a footnote in the story of a match that is a strong contender for the dirtiest World Cup game ever.
The match was marred by three expulsions, several mass brawls and several pitch invasions by Brazil officials and media.
“This was a battle; a brutal, savage match,” said then-Hungary coach Gustav Sebes, who needed four stitches for a facial wound incurred after he was struck by a broken bottle in a post-match brawl.
The violence hit a new level eight years later in Chile, when Italy and the hosts met in a group tie dubbed the “Battle of Santiago.”
The first foul occurred within 12 seconds and Italy’s Giorgio Ferrini was dismissed after only 12 minutes, needing to be dragged off the field by police after protesting in vain to English referee Ken Aston.
Italy’s Mario David was then expelled for kicking Chile’s Leonel Sanchez in the head, with the Chilean lucky to avoid following suit after breaking Humberto Maschio’s nose with a punch. Police had to intervene repeatedly as the two teams continued to clash violently.
While isolated incidents of violence have peppered World Cups since the battles’ heyday — most notably Germany goalkeeper Toni Schumacher’s flying challenge on France’s Patrick Battiston in 1982 and Zinedine Zidane of France’s headbutt on Italy’s Marco Materazzi in 2006 — there have been few games that have rivaled the Berne and Santiago clashes.
One exception was 2006’s “Battle of Nuremberg” between Portugal and the Netherlands, in which Russian referee Valentine Ivanov issued four red and 16 yellow cards to set a World Cup record.
Amid the mayhem, Portugal were fortunate not to lose captain Luis Figo after he dished out a retaliatory headbutt to Khalid Boulahrouz because the Dutch player elbowed him.
“Jesus Christ may be able to turn the other cheek, but Luis Figo isn’t Jesus Christ,” then-Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said.
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