In this next text, the curiosities about the Soccer World Cup will deal with the 1986, 1990 and 1994 tournaments.
- 1986 World Cup:
- This was a Cup that was for Latin America. The tournament was supposed to be hosted by Colombia, which, due to financial problems, gave up being the host country. FIFA offered the headquarters to Brazil, which it denied. It was finally accepted by Mexico, which provided a great infrastructure for the championship;
- The first expulsion of a coach occurred in this Cup. Cayetano Ré, coach of the Paraguayan national team, was expelled from the field during the Paraguay-Belgium match;
- It was a Mexican church's idea to mint coins in commemoration of the World Cup. One side of the coin had the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, while on the other side a football pitch was drawn. This idea was the origin of a practice that is perpetuated until today in world football tournaments;
- It was the year in which Maradona stood out: he was chosen as the best player in the Cup, in addition to helping Argentina take the title home;
- With regard to Brazil, it was the year of farewell to excellent players, such as Sócrates, Zico, Júnior and Falcão.
- 1990 World Cup:
- This curiosity is more than confirmed: In a match between Brazil and Argentina, the Brazilian player “Branco” asked the opposing team's masseuse for water. He complained that he felt dizzy after drinking it and found it strange that the water he was given was not the same as the one offered to the Argentine team. After a while, the Argentine national team's masseuse stated that the water offered to the opposing team was actually from a different bottle. He also stated that Argentine coach Carlos Bilardo had been given the water to keep in his briefcase;
- There was a match in which the two teams did not want to play. The game between Holland and Ireland was in 1-1, a draw that would classify the two teams to the round of 16. Enjoying the result, the two teams played simple passes, without attacking, until the referee brought the two captains together and asked them to start attacking. The request was not granted and the score obviously remained the same;
- Lambada was the “feeling” rhythm of this Cup: fashion in Brazil at the time, lambada was used as a gesture commemorating our goals. The dance performed by striker “Careca” left fans of other teams curious, which left fans waiting for a new Brazilian goal. Proof that lambada became fashionable in football was when the Cameroon national team player Roger Milla also imitated the gesture when celebrating his goal against Colombia.
- 1994 World Cup:
- In this Cup, making a mistake could mean a death sentence, as was the case with Colombian defender Andrés Escobar. The player scored an own goal in the match between Colombia and USA, making his team lose 2-1. Back in his country, Escobar was killed with fifteen shots in a restaurant in Medellín;
- The only expulsion of a goalkeeper, seen until today in World Cups, happened in this tournament. Italian Gianluca Pagliuca was sent off for a game against Norway when he palmed the ball outside his area;
- This was another tournament that had the participation of Diego Armando Maradona, Argentine player. However, in this Cup, Maradona was caught in the anti-doping test. There were so many substances identified that Argentina did not even have the means to turn to the responsible committee: norephedrine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine and metaephedrine.
See more:
Curiosities about the World Cup in the period 1998-2006
Curiosities about the World Cup in the period 1970-1982
Curiosities about the World Cup in the period 1950 - 1966
Trivia about the World Cup in the 1930 - 1938 Period
By Paula Rondinelli
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Physical Education from the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – UNESP
Master in Motricity Sciences from the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – UNESP
PhD student in Latin American Integration at the University of São Paulo - USP
world Cup - PE - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/educacao-fisica/curiosidades-sobre-copa-mundo-no-periodo-19861994.htm