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Former FIFA President João Havelange: “1966 & 1974 World Cups Were Fixed”

June 27th, 2008 | By: julien | 10 Comments »

According to Goal.com and numerous other sources, former FIFA President João Havelange claims that the 1966 and 1974 FIFA World Cups were fixed so that England and Germany would win. João Havelange was FIFA President from 1974-1998. His comments:

“In the three matches that the Brazilian national team played in 1966, of the three referees and six linesmen, seven were British and two were Germans,” Havelange told Folha de Sao Paulo.

Brazil went out, Pele ‘exited’ through injury [following some rough defensive play], and England and Germany entered into the final, just as the Englishman Sir Stanley Rous, who was the President of FIFA at the time, had wanted.

In Germany in 1974 the same thing happened. During the Brazil-Holland match, the referee was German, we lost 2-0 and Germany won the title,” said Havelange.

“We were the best in the world, and had the same team that had won the World Cup in 1962 in Chile and 1970 in Mexico, but it was planned for the host countries to win.”

There have been accusations of match fixing for host nations in the past. More recently we can look at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Poor officiating and blatant bias secured South Korea’s win over Italy. So what do you guys think? Were they fixed?

Tags: England, FIFA, Germany, João Havelange, WC 1966, WC 1974, World Cup

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Comments

By Rami | June 27th, 2008 at 9:21 am

Always tough to know what to make of match fixing claims. All I know is that it’s not at all outside the realm of possibility… It’s an easy thing to say but it’s a harder thing to prove. His evidence isn’t exactly a smoking gun.

Posted from United States

By julien | June 27th, 2008 at 9:29 am

Good points, Rami.

Posted from United States

By Jim | June 27th, 2008 at 10:17 am

As if anyone believes anything that corrupt old ward-heeler says, anyway. Havelange was a disaster for the world game and his outrageous siphoning of FIFA money into his own pocket leaves him no status or credibility in the “football family”.

Posted from United Kingdom

By tito | June 27th, 2008 at 10:24 am

1966 & 1974 were before my time, so it’s hard to say from personal experience, though ‘66 was pretty famously rigged.

2002 was obviously as crooked as they come.

There has always been bias in these tournaments - look at Turkey’s treatment this year - and sadly there will likely always be… in a perverse way, it adds to the achievement for the winners whose victories came in spite of the wretched machinations of these corrupt organizations and individuals.

Posted from United States

By Jan | June 27th, 2008 at 11:44 am

From what my Dutch family told me 1974 was pretty suspicious.

But 1934 was no better.

Posted from Italy

By Bruno Romani | June 27th, 2008 at 2:51 pm

eveybody knows that 66 was stolen.

By Gary | June 27th, 2008 at 4:11 pm

Brasil’s team in 1974 was NOT the 1970 team, nor even a shadow of it. There were 13 new players in the Brazilian squad and they were missing the core of the starting XI from the 1970 final. I wonder what he can tell us about 1978, the most controversial World Cup during his reign.

Posted from Canada

By ken higgs | June 30th, 2008 at 8:54 am

Havelange is having himself on. Brazil weren’t even close to being the best team in the world in 1974 (or 66). If Brazil had the same team as 1970, then they can count themselves thankful that Holland didn’t have team they did in 74. They’d have got slaughtered.

As for fixing, the most obviously fixed WC was 78.
FIFA president at the time?

‘Honest’ Jaoa, I believe……….

Posted from Australia