1978 FIFA World Cup - Controversy

Controversy

A controversial fact surrounding the 1978 World Cup was that Argentina had suffered a military coup only two years before the cup. Because of this, some countries, most notably the Netherlands, considered publicly whether they should participate in the cup. Despite this, all teams eventually participated without restrictions. Allegations that Dutch star Johan Cruijff refused to participate because of political convictions were refuted by him 30 years later. More controversy surrounded the host, Argentina, as all of their games in the first round kicked off at night, giving the Argentines the advantage of knowing where they stood in the group. This issue would arise again in Spain 1982, which prompted FIFA to change the rules so that the final two group games in subsequent World Cups would be played simultaneously.

There are also several allegations that the government of Argentina, run by dictator Jorge Videla, struck a deal with the government of Peru that ensured Argentina would proceed to the final. The deal encompassed delivery of a large grain shipment to Peru by Argentina, unfreezing of a Peruvian bank account that was held by the Argentine Central Bank and the imprisonment of 13 Peruvian dissidents in Argentina. In exchange the Peruvian team had to allow Argentina to win in their second-round match with a margin that was large enough to go the next round. Peru, having conceded six goals in their previous five games, proceeded to let in six against the hosts, allowing Argentina to reach the Final instead of Brazil. In February 2012, several Argentine media outlets, among which El Tribuno and the Buenos Aires Herald, reported that FIFA will start an inquiry into match fixing concerning the Argentina Peru game. FIFA officially denied this.