Argentina’s coronation at the 1978 World Cup, organized in the land of tango, may have given rise to a fixed match between Albiceleste and Peru, which ended 6-0, with French referee Robert Wurtz in charge.
Before the 1986 World Cup won by Diego Maradona and the third in 2022 which established Lionel Messi as the Goat of the football, Argentina’s very first coronation, in 1978, has caused a lot of ink to flow until today. The 1978 edition held in Argentina is probably the most scandalous World Cup in history. Our podcast
Great goal returns to this World Cup strewn with adventures (notably for the French team).
General Videla was happy to host the most popular event in the world to legitimize his policies. His dictatorship was bloodthirsty, since nearly 30,000 political opponents were kidnapped from 1976 to 1983. Some were tortured to death at the Naval School in Buenos Aires, 800 meters from the Monumental, the River Plate stadium, where Argentina-France and the Argentina-Netherlands final took place.
The Argentines probably benefited from a high-level arrangement to reach the World Cup final at the expense of Brazil. Fifa had imagined a tournament with two group stages, with the first two from the second round directly to the final. On the last day, the Auriverde won 3-1 against Poland and the Albiceleste then had to win by more than 4 goals against Peru, already eliminated. Videla then allegedly promised $50 million and 35,000 tons of grain to Peruvian dictator Francisco Morales Bermudez.
“The French referee looked away”
A player from Peru, José Velasquez, assured, in 2018, that six of his teammates had been bought, including goalkeeper Raman Quiroga, an Argentinian naturalized Peruvian. Quiroga defended himself, placing the blame on another person on the pitch: “That day, everything worked for Argentina and nothing for us. I believe two Argentine goals were offside, one by Luque and one by Tarantini, and the referee, Frenchman Robert Wurtz, looked the other way. »
It is true, on the Argentinian goals from Mario Kempes, Leopoldo Luque, Alberto Tarantini and René Houseman, Peru goalkeeper Raman Quiroga is not particularly at fault. What is more intriguing is that, faced with multiple attacks from the Albiceleste, the Peruvian defenders repeatedly throw themselves into their area as if to provoke a penalty in favor of Argentina. Mr. Wurtz did not give any penalties. And, of the six goals, none appears to be tainted by blatant offside.
