After the First World War had ended in 1918, tensions remained high in Europe. Germany was widely blamed for the war and this did not sit well with the Germans. While the other countries involved tried to rebuild and move on from the horrors and devastation that was World War I, Germany was quietly preparing to go to war again. In September 1939 Germany, under the rule of Adolf Hitler invaded Poland. Their European neighbors Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany. Japan and Italy joined the war as Allies to the Germans soon after. The war which came to be known as World War II eventually ended in 1945 but suffice to say that European relations were strained. Questions about how the unity of the European nations would be achieved began swirling.
Jules Rimet found a possible solution in the World Cup of Football. The competition which began in the 1930’s was forced to be put on hold because of the war. However, 1950 was a special year for world football; it marked the 25th anniversary of Jules Rimet as President of FIFA and the World Cup of Football tournament returned in fine style; the competition was destined to be a spectacular one.
It was however difficult to find a host nation due to the world war that took place five (5) years earlier. Presidents and Prime Ministers around the world believed that scarce resources were to be devoted to more urgent priorities than that of a sporting celebration. Many of these same persons went on to regret their speech. Since Europe was still suffering from the devastation of World War II, FIFA decided to move the games to South America. The tournament which spanned a period of four (4) weeks (June 24 – July 16), saw fifteen (15) teams participating in twenty two (22) matches which was held in Brazil, the country that has produced some of the most successful players in the history of the game.
Of the fifteen (15) teams that entered the competition, seven (7) came from Europe. This goes to show the significant role sports can play in uniting people of different race, class, status etc. the 1950 world cup is widely regarded as one of the best in the history of the tournament, not only because of the spectacular display but also because it came on the heels of a major war that left the world desolate but managed to bring the world together nonetheless to celebrate. This was the only tournament not to be decided by a one match finale. Eighty Eight (88) goals were scored overall with an average of four (4) goals per game. The tournament was the start of what turned out to be the Brazilian dominance in world football. The Brazilian team did not win the competition but they were placed second 2nd with the leading goal scorer coming from Brazil (Ademir who scored 9 goals in the competition). Each of the seven (7) European countries that participated in the competition took a risk that paid off brilliantly, with football being one of the main sources of investment in many European countries today.
In 1958 the tournament saw further success and advancement. Switzerland had the privilege to host the competition. Switzerland 1958 was a goal festival. Germany and Hungary made it to the finale match as top candidates with Hungary being the favorites guided by the 11 goals from Kocsis with two victories 4-2 in the quarterfinals and semifinals against Brazil and the defending champions Uruguay respectively. Only eight (8) minutes into the game, Hungary was defeating Germany 2-0 and everything was set for a high scoring game but Germany recovered, tied the game in the eighteen (18) minute and with just 6 minutes to go in the second half, HelmuthRahn made the miracle: 3-2 and Germany was the world champion.
The unexpected win evoked a wave of euphoria throughout Germany, which was still suffering in the aftermath of World War II. This was also the first time since the Second World War that the German national anthem was played in public. As television was only available to few homes or public places in Germany, a German radio commentator Herbert Zimmermann became a popular German personality due to his emotional reporting style, especially his commentary.His comments when Germany scored the winning goal (“Aus dem HintergrundmüssteRahnschießen, Rahnschießt – TOR, TOR, TOR!” – “Rahn has to shoot from the background, Rahn shoots – goal, goal, goal!“), and after the final whistle (“AUS! AUS! AUS! Das Spiel ist aus. Deutschland ist Weltmeister, schlägt Ungarn 3 zu 2!” – “Over! Over! Over! The game is over! Germany are World Champions, beat Hungary 3–2!“) are well known in Germany.
The importance of sports in society cannot be denied. In 1950 it seemed near impossible to conduct a tournament so massive after many countries were still rising from the ashes of World War II, however FIFA had the dedication and motivation to see the tournament be a success. It was good to see Americans and English supporters inside the same arena cheering for their different teams. Unity was indeed achieved. In 1950 only fifteen (15) countries participated in the World Cup and in 2009 over 50 different countries were trying to qualify for the tournament in 2010 South Africa.
48-NINETY SPORTS 