Continuing the series on “Curiosities of the World Cup”, this text will deal with five cups, which ran from 1950 to 1966.
After the 1938 World Cup, twelve years passed without a championship. The tournament was only played again after the end of World War II. At that time, FIFA had already been transferred from France to Switzerland, as Jules Rimet, then president of the federation, was afraid that Hitler would take the entity to Germany. In this way, it guaranteed the continuation of FIFA with freedom and independence in decision-making.
1950 World Cup:
- Italy, which already had a strong tradition in football, played with a very lacking team, due to an air disaster that occurred shortly before, where several players who were the base of the team died;
- The biggest upset of the Cups happened in this competition, in the Game between USA and England. The US took only one amateur team, while England were one of the favorite teams for the title. The result was 1XO for the Americans;
- The biggest Brazilian disappointment in World Cups happened at Maracanã, in the final game against Uruguay. The Uruguayan goal, at the end of the second half, is a fact that Brazilian football cannot forget.
- Some teams withdrew from playing in the Cup due to the high costs they would have to come to Brazil. They are: Scotland, Portugal, France, Turkey, Burma and India.
1954 Cup:
- The host country of this tournament was Switzerland, chosen for the neutrality with which it dealt with the Second War;
- It was the first World Cup to be televised, which considerably increased the number of people who followed the tournament;
- Debut of the official green and yellow uniform of the Brazilian team. After the defeat against Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup, the colors white and blue were superstitious as sources of bad luck.
1958 World Cup:
- First time that the former Soviet Union registered and qualified to compete in the championship;
- Several favorite countries for the title were eliminated from the competition, such as Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Uruguay;
- In this Cup, Pelé became the youngest player to score a goal in the championship, at just 17 years of age;
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- It was the only Cup that had the presence of all the countries of the United Kingdom: Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
1962 Cup:
- That year, Brazil debuted the transmission of the games through videotape: the recordings of the games came from Chile and were televised the day after the game;
- In the meal before the match between Brazil and Chile, the players had a lunch of bread, cheese, salami and mortadella. That's because, as the game was against the host country's selection, the coaching staff was afraid that the hotel's food might be altered;
- The Brazilian defender, Mauro Ramos, was nicknamed Marta Rocha (former miss Brazil) for playing with beautiful and refined passes.
1966 World Cup:
- Start of live broadcasting of matches to twenty European countries. Brazilian transmission was still done via videotape;
- It became known as the “World Championship of Violence”. That's because the European referees turned a blind eye to the brawl that happened on the field. Germans and English played their respective quarter-final games, practically beating their opponents;
- There was a rumor that FIFA was against the South Americans in this championship. The very condescension of arbitration, with the violence of European athletes, already raised suspicions. The result was that the final took place between England and Germany, with a score of 4 X2. The owner of the house won.
See more:
Curiosities about the World Cup in the period 1998-2006
Curiosities about the World Cup in the period 1986-1994
Curiosities about the World Cup in the 1930-1938 Period
Curiosities about the World Cup in the period 1970-1982
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
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Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
RONDINELLI, Paula. "Fun Facts about the World Cup in the Period 1950 - 1966"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/educacao-fisica/curiosidades-sobre-copa-mundo-no-periodo-19501966.htm. Accessed on June 29, 2021.
