The Football World Cups, 1930s Style

598 words 

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Qatar 22, the men’s football World Cup, is done and dusted for another four years. The porteños can tango all night from one end of Avenida 9 de Julio to the other and build 100-feet high monuments to the sainted Lionel Messi all over the Argentine. Let’s turn our attention to some world cup history and the pioneering phase of this premier quadrennial sporting event which first kicked off 92 years ago. FIFA (Fedération Internationale de Football Association), the governing body for international association football, selected Uruguay to host the first world cup. FIFA president Jules Rimet was the driving force getting the football world championship off the ground. 

The initial three world cups held in 1930, 1934 and 1938 respectively were irregular affairs compared to the more uniform format and settled structure of the tournament as we know it. Each of the three pre-war tournaments in Uruguay, Italy and France, generated  controversy in their own ways.

Why was Uruguay chosen host for World Cup 1? 

There was several factors in the awarding of the cup hosting rights to Uruguay by FIFA. Uruguay was the reigning Olympic champion (before the advent of the World Cup the Olympics football gold medal was the pinnacle in international soccer). A further consideration in Uruguay’s favour was it’s Football Association’s offer to pay all travel and accommodation costs for the participating teams. From Uruguay’s perspective, holding the cup in 1930 was also an opportunity to celebrate (with the world) the centenary of the country’s first constitution (1830). 

There was no qualifying pre-finals series for Uruguay 1930, participation was by invitation with 13 countries taking part. Initially European nations were very reluctant to come, the British, German and Italian teams did not participate§ and only after some arm-twisting by FIFA head Rimet did France, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Romania attend the tournament. With South American countries in the ascendency Uruguay and Argentina competed for the title...the home side triumphed over Argentina in an acrimonious final, 4–2. 

Celebrating the Fascist State through soccer‘s showcase

The 1934 World Cup courted even more controversy. Hosting rights were awarded to Italy, Dictator  Mussolini used the sporting tournament as a propaganda tool for Italian Fascism. Accusations were made about Il Duce attempting to influence the competition in favour of the home country. The British Home Nations again refused to take part, preferring to play in their own four-nation championship (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland). Cup holders Uruguay also refused to participate (and defend its title)  in protest against the non-participation of most of the European teams four years earlier. Of the 16 countries who qualified for Italy, 12 were from Europe, an inversion of the 1930 balance in favour of South America. All eight quarter-finalists were from Continental Europe—a unique occurrence in the competition’s history–Italy eventually beating Czechoslovakia 2–1 after extra time in the final.

Italy back-to-back

FIFA awarded the Third World Cup in 1938 to France, a decision which outraged South American nations who protested about Europe being chosen as host country twice in succession, arguing that it should alternate every four years between South America and Europe. Consequently neither Uruguay nor Argentina entered the 1938 World Cup event (leaving only Brazil and Chile to represent the Americas). Spain also pulled out due to the ongoing Civil War in that country and Austria withdrew after the Anschluss (annexation) by Nazi Germany. Italy repeated its 1934 victory beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.

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§ nor did the Netherlands who had been an unsuccessful candidate to host the inaugural cup