World Cup Wonderland : Brazil, Cameroon

94: Aggro, anger & antics in America

FourFourTwo Team — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:55:00 GMT

Maybe it was the heat. But 1994 was a year for rag-losing, nut-doing and violent meltdowns…

Maradona’s potty celebrations –  and doping shame
The Argentine demigod really was a very naughty boy throughout his playing days, but his nadir surely came at USA 94. It looked like he’d recaptured some old magic when he scored against Greece in the opening game, only for the world to collectively ponder “What’s he on?!” after witnessing his celebratory boggle-eyed yelling into the camera.

We soon found out: he was on five different sorts of the stimulant ephedrine. Maradona was disqualified, later arguing that his failed doping test was the result of his trainer giving him the wrong sort of energy drink. Cheat or not, it was a sad end to a truly great World Cup career.

Leonardo gives Ramos the elbow
Brazilian left-back Leonardo didn’t take kindly to fleet-footed American winger Tab Ramos attempting to bamboozle him with a back-heel: he twisted and delivered a vicious elbow into the side of Ramos’ face, fracturing his cheekbone.

As his victim flopped on the floor like a fish out of water, the ref steamed in with a red card and everyone else enjoyed a mini-festival of referee-surrounding and Latin gesturing. Ramos spent three months in hospital; Leonardo was banned for four World Cup games and later apologised to Ramos, claiming it had been “an accident”.

Tassotti elbows Luis Enrique
Another shocker: Spanish forward Enrique lost more than a pint of blood after getting on the wrong end of Italian defender Mauro Tassotti’s elbow. The foul went unpunished during the game despite Enrique’s wild protestations.

The Italian eventually received a retrospective eight-game ban, but the Spaniard held a grudge for much longer than that: in 2008 he called for his nation to ‘take revenge’ for him on Italy. “I would love it,” he said, “and Spain has the advantage this time, because Tassotti is not playing!” Indeed.

Etcheverry off in four minutes
What do you expect from a man nicknamed ‘El Diablo’? Sickeningly violent mayhem, that’s what, and Marco Etcheverry delivered just that in the opening game of USA 94 at Soldier Field. Returning from injury, the man regarded as Bolivia’s best-ever player came on with 11 minutes left on the clock and his side trailing 1-0.

Immediately enraged by a shove from Lothar Matthaus, he kicked out at the German and was dismissed. “I’m sorry for Bolivia,” he said afterwards. “If I did kick him, it’s part of the game.” The side finished bottom of their group, and Etcheverry later gained a reputation for aggro at DC United, as he hacked and butted his way through the MLS.

Whack! Lothar gets the devil from behind

Effenberg gives fans the finger
It’s not just Barry Ferguson who gets himself into trouble with childish hand gestures. Stefan Effenberg was caught out ‘flicking the bird’ to German fans after being subbed in their game against South Korea.

His side had let a three-goal lead slip to 3-2, and manager Bertie Vogts replaced Effenberg with Thomas Helmer. Barracked by some supporters as he trudged along the sidelines, Effenberg lost the plot and replied with a middle-fingered salute. His reward was a ticket home, and Vogts responded by saying: “for as long as I’m coaching the team, he will not play for Germany again.”

'Psycho' Zola gets short shrift
Gianfranco Zola only ever played one World Cup game in his career: the second round of USA 94 against Nigeria, in which he was sent off after just a few minutes for, well, nothing much at all – the official completely misjudged an ordinary tackle.

“My thoughts were all directed to the referee, and they weren’t very nice thoughts, actually,” the unlikely hatchet-man told FourFourTwo about his reaction. Zola was banned for the next two games, dropped for the final and retired from international football just before the 1998 tournament. A shame.

Divine miss, Ross
Oprah Winfrey was the compere and US President Bill Clinton was in attendance (vice-president Al Gore was at the closing ceremony), but the opening ceremony at Chicago’s Soldier Field will forever be remembered for one guest: Diana Ross, who missed an open goal from two yards out.

At the end of her performance, the Motown legend, resplendent in what appeared to be a bright red shell suit, was supposed to slam home a penalty but hooked her shot wide. The goal was supposed to split in half as ball went in, and did so anyway, despite the spooned sitter. While an audience of billions laughed, an embarrassed Ross turned the colour of her scarlet two-piece.

Prepare to Di...

Coke scandal hits World Cup, offends millions
McDonald’s and Coca-Cola had a cunning plan: to print the flags of all the participating nations on their products. But it backfired when Saudi Arabia complained that printing their flag – which features the Islamic declaration of faith – on disposable bags and drinks cans was an insult to all Muslims. The offending products were quickly and quietly discontinued.

No pay, no play
Cameroon’s bid for World Cup glory was thrown into disarray when, two days before their group match against Brazil, the Indomitable Lions players refused to continue in the tournament unless they were paid what was promised by the Cameroonian FA. Despite receiving their match fees in a suitcase packed with $450,000, the players hardly appeared inspired – they went on to lose 3-0 to Brazil and 6-1 to Russia.

Much Aldo about one-nothing
With the Republic of Ireland a goal down to Mexico in their crucial group match, manager Jack Charlton was keen to introduce mustachioed frontman John Aldridge into the fray. He was foiled, however, by over-officious FIFA goon Mustafa Fahmy, who refused to allow the striker on leading to a red-faced shouty exchange with Charlton and Aldridge.

After a six-minute wrangle, Aldo finally trotted onto the pitch, barely breaking stride to flick a few victory signs in Fahmy’s direction, before scoring the goal that secured the Republic’s place in the second round.

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90: A big shock, a great grudgefest and a dodgy drink

Nick Moore — Sat, 22 May 2010 09:01:00 GMT

Right from the start, Italia 90 had its fair share of noteworthy games – from cup shocks to clashing giants and an intrigue-filled derby clash...

BIGGEST SHOCK
Cameroon 1-0 Argentina
As the teams gathered in the San Siro centre circle for the national anthems ahead of the opening game of Italia ’90, all eyes fell on Diego Maradona. The genius who had almost single-handedly won the previous World Cup looked supremely confident.

While the Cameroonians awaited kick-off nervously, the Argentine captain performed a series of extraordinary tricks, spinning the ball cleverly off his toe and juggling with shoulder-flicks and deft headers. He looked about as nervous as Mike Tyson entering the ring for a bout with Hannah Montana.

The Africans weren’t even considered good enough to rank as underdogs in the eyes of the world: they were simply here to make up the numbers, shooting practice for a Big Gun in the tournament’s curtain-raiser.

The world, it transpired, was an ass. With hindsight, this result perhaps shouldn’t have been considered that stunning. Argentina may have eventually ground their way to the final via a series of penalty shoot-outs, narrow victories and alleged cheating (see Dodgiest Game, below) but the reigning champions were a long way shy of their sparkling 1986 vintage.

Cameroon, meanwhile, possessed a powerful frontline and would eventually be unlucky not to reach the semi-finals themselves. For now, however, they had the element of surprise on their side: no African side had ever progressed beyond the group stages of the tournament, and they weren’t expected to start here. Cameroon also possessed some pretty cynical tactics: from the whistle, they steamed into Argentina.

Maradona, jeered throughout by the partisan Milanese crowd for his Napoli connections, later complained that the Indomitable Lions had not turned up to play, merely to kick Argentina into submission. He had reason to be bitter: the Argentine talisman was double- and treble-marked completely out of the game.

"Get him!!"

The South Americans had the best of the early exchanges, however, and came close to scoring after just four minutes – until Abel Balbo, presented with an open goal, tripped over the ball. Minutes later, Nestor Fabbri thundered clear of his marker and unleashed a brilliant right-foot effort which was blocked by keeper Thomas Nkono. As the game wore on, though, Cameroon’s defence tightened and the counter-attacks began.

Emmanuel Makanaky capitalised on some defensive confusion to punt a weak shot goalwards, which was only just shepherded out by defender Nestor Lorenzo. Suddenly the Africans looked like possible winners. Level at half-time, the pressure and slick Cameroon passing continued after the break. But on the hour mark, an appalling foul on Claudio Cannigia by Andrea Kana Biyik resulted in a red card.

The dismissal didn’t deter the Lions: they took the lead five minutes later when an unmarked Francois Oman Biyik headed a free-kick through the legs of goalkeeper Pumpido. Now pouring forward, Cameroon stretched the Argentine defence time and again. In the dying minutes, Benjamin Massing was also dismissed following an obvious foul on the unfortunate Cannigia. But his nine team-mates clung on for a famous victory.

At the time, it felt like a genuine mugging: the biggest upset since North Korea beat Italy in 1966. Everyone thought it was a fluke – The Sun’s headline the next day read: ‘LOONY ‘ROONS BARGY ARGIES’. But Cameroon went on to prove that it wasn’t by beating Romania to win their group, knocking out Colombia in the second round, and scaring the bejesus out of England in the quarter-finals.

African football had finally gained something it sorely deserved: respect. Plucky opening-day underdogs, meanwhile, would never be treated with casual disdain again.

BEST GAME
West Germany 2-1 Holland
It may be best remembered for a generous gobload of Dutch phlegm entering a dodgy German perm, and this Euro grudgefest was extremely nasty in parts, but it was also a humdinger of a game: two nations with bucketloads of previous going head-to-head at the San Siro.

The fans disrupted each other’s anthems before the match, and it didn’t take long for the nastiness to spread to the pitch. Within the first minute, Holland’s Adri van Tiggelen badly hurt Pierre Littbarski. End-to-end chances followed, but then tensions exploded between Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Voller, leading to the infamous spitting incident and both men getting dismissed. "I went berserk," admitted Rijkaard.

Flobber-job: Frank's phlegm riles Rudi

The bitter deadlock was finally broken by Jurgen Klinsmann, who tapped in a pinpoint cross on 51 minutes. Holland’s Gerald Vanenburg went close to equalising, Lothar Mattheus nearly doubled the lead and Henk Fraser hit the post. Andreas Brehme finally added a second on 85 minutes, and despite Ronald Koeman’s late penalty, the Dutch couldn’t recover in time.

DODGIEST GAME
Argentina 1-0 Brazil
The last World Cup meeting between the Latin arch-enemies was highly controversial: after the match, Brazilian defender Branco claimed he’d been drugged with tranquilisers by the Argentine bench, who’d handed him a bottle of Gatorade during a stoppage in play.

The incident became known as ‘The Holy Water Scandal,’ and the debate about what occurred still rages. The Argentine Football Federation has always denied the allegations, but Maradona has since claimed that the water was drugged – although he had nothing to do with it – and during a magazine interview in 2005, manager Carlos Bilardo said: "I'm not saying it didn't happen. I don’t know." Whatever the truth of the matter, it has added fuel to an already-fiery rivalry ever since.

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