World Cup Stories-Part 3 (The Third World Cup 1938)-part m

Post World Cup and General

-The Final Ranking: 1-Italy, 2-Hungary, 3-Brazil, 4-Sweden, 5-Czechoslovakia, 6-Switzerland, 7-Cuba, 8-France, 9-Romania, 10-Germany, 11-Poland, 12-Norway, 13-Belgium, 14-Holland, 15-Dutch East Indies.

-There were 84 goals in 18 Matches. This was an average of 4.67 goals per game.

Photo From: L'Auto, Issue 13688, June 12, 1938

(A cartoon about the World Cup)

 -From June 4^th to 19^th, 374, 937 spectators were in attendance for 18 matches. This was an average of 21,000 per match. The gate receipts totaled 5,866,089 Francs.

In another source, the total number was estimated as 365,000 supporters, equivalent to 72% of the maximum capacity of the stadiums.

Outside of the Capital, in the provinces, there were more than 180,000 in attendance, which was an average of 15,000 per match and 2,500,000 Francs.

Marseille and Bordeaux had more than 50,000 spectators.

The largest audiences were for France-Italy and Italy-Hungary match-ups.

The smallest audience was for Cuba-Rumania (6,707 spectators, only 30% of the capacity of stadium).

The World Bank's financial contribution covered all expenses and gave a profit to the organizers.

The Organization was deemed successful just like the previous World Cups.

Most major geographical areas of France were included in organizing the matches.

Bordeaux and Marseille had unveiled new stadiums for the occasion.

Note: One source, states a total attendance of 483,000 (average of 26, 833 per match) (this seems somewhat high…..)

Photo From: Azzurri, Storia della Nazionale di calcio tre volte campioni del Mondo, 1910-1983

(Press passes)

-France would become World Cup hosts again, 60 years later in 1998. They would win their first World Cup then.

They faced Italy in the quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup as they did in 1938.

-At the time, Henri Delaunay had made this prophetic statement: “We are lucky to have had the chance to organize the World Cup this year. Next year it would have been certainly too late”

-World XI per FIFA Jury after the 1938 World Cup:

Frantisek Planicka (Czechoslovakia);

Domingos Da Guia (Brazil), Pietro Rava (Italy), Zézé Procópio (Brazil)

Michele Andreolo (Italy), Ugo Locatelli (Italy), Arne Nyberg (Sweden)

Giuseppe Meazza (Italy), Leonidas (Brazil), Gyorgy Sarosi (Hungary), Pal Titkos (Hungary)

The selection of Brazilian defender Zézé Procópio was questioned as he had been sent off in the violent match vs. Czechoslovakia.

-The World Cup XI per ‘Don Balon’, Issue 348, June 1982

Frantisek Planicka (Czechsolovakia),

Domingos Da Guia (Brazil), Pietro Rava (Italy)

Pietro Serantoni (Italy), Michele Andreolo (Italy), Ugo Locatelli (Italy)

Giuseppe Meazza (Italy), Gyorgy Sarosi (Hungary)

Amedeo Biavati (Italy), Leonidas (Brazil), Pal Titkos (Hungary)

-World Cup XI per

“III Fussballweltmeisterschaft 1938 Frankreich, Author Robert Franta”

First Team:

Aldo Olivieri (Italy)

Severino Minelli (Switzerland), Pietro Rava (Italy);

Andreas Kupfer (Germany), Dr. Gyorgy Sarosi (Hungary), Vlastimil Kopecky (Czechoslovakia);

Silvio Piola (Italy), Ernest Willimowski (Poland),

Willi Hahnemann (Germany), Leonidas (Brazil), Arne Brustad (Norway)

"B" Team:

Frantisek Planicka (Czechoslovakia);

Paul Janes (Germany), Machado (Brazil);

Antal Szalay (Hungary), Michele Andreolo (Italy), Gyula Lázár (Hungary);

Alfred Aston (France), Gyula Zsengeller (Hungary),
Romeu (Brazil),Tim (Brazil), Luigi Colaussi (Italy)

Other goalkeepers mentioned:  Raftl (Germany), Walter (Brazil), Huber (Switzerland) and Szabo (Hungary).

Photo From: La Historia de los Mundiales (En Primera Persona) - 2014

(Team of Tournament per La Historia de los Mundiales (En Primera Persona))

-Many Nations present in 1938 would not qualify to the World Cup for decades to come.

Romania’s next World Cup Finals would be in 1970, while Poland’s would be in 1974.

Norway would have to wait even longer until 1994.

-On September 1, 1939, Germany’s invasion of Poland started World War II.

The World Cups of 1942 and 1946 were cancelled as the World was engulfed in War.

Incidentally, Germany were in line to host the 1942 World Cup.

In addition, Hungarian Officials were thinking of a plan to co-host the 1946 edition along with Austria and Czechoslovakia.

-The Italian FIFA Vice-President Dr. Ottorino Barassi (October 5, 1898-November 24, 1971) kept the World Cup hidden under his bed, in order to protect it from the Nazis.

-The only players registered with foreign clubs were the Hungarian Vilmos Kohut (Olympique de Marseille / France) and Switzerland’s Alessandro Frigerio  (Le Havre Athletic Club / France).

Both were registered with French clubs.

Photo From: IFFHS, Schweiz,Suisse, Svizzera (1905-1940)

(Alesandro Frigerio)

-Italy’s Amedeo Biavati (April 4, 1915-April 22, 1979) was credited for starting a new method of dribbling.

It was the famous "double step" or “step over”.

Photo From: Il Libro Azzurro del Calcio Italiano, Authors Pericle Pratelli, Pasquale Scardillo, 1974

(Amedoe Biavati)

-Italy’s Silvio Piola (September 29, 1913-October 4, 1996) would be regarded as one of the greatest strikers in Italian Football History. He would be the most prolific Italian scorer of all time. He would pass Meazza's total in 1951, a year before he retired.

During the Second World War, he was visiting his family in Vercelli, (in the North), at a time when the country was split into two; the North under Allied control and the South under German control. Piola was stranded and he couldn't return to the South to lineup for Lazio. During this time, a Roman newspaper erroneously ran the headline ‘Piola killed after bombing' and there were even reports of mourning ceremonies taking place in the capital for him. He returned to Rome weeks later unharmed.

Photo From: L'Auto, Issue 13684, June 8, 1938

(A cartoon of Silvio Piola)

Photo From: Paris Soir, 18 June 1938

(Silvio Piola signing autographs in Paris)

-In 1983, Silvio Piola would recount some of the events of the World Cup.

He felt their mental strength was a more determining factor than any technical attributes, as the team was expertly forged as a unit by Pozzo.

The team was fearless in facing any rival according to Piola.

After the match vs. Norway, Pozzo had been uneasy and restless about certain press criticisms. There were about five Italian journalists following the team.

Pozzo would not allow interviews with players nor allow the players to read as to not affect their performances.

They lived in a bubble isolated with some French police officers stationed in front of their hotel of Saint-Germain en Laye in Paris.

Piola also praised Brazil’s Domingos Da Guia and the Hungarian Captain Gyorgy Sarosi.

He was touched how after the final whistle Sarosi immediately congratulated the Italian group as a sign of Sportsmanship.

Photo From: Paris Soir, 21 June 1938

(A cartoon of Silvio Piola after the World Cup win)

-From Italy’s 1938 squad, back-up goalkeeper Guido Masetti  (November 22, 1907-November 26, 1993) was the last surviving Italian player to have witnessed Italy host the World Cup again in 1990. Masetti passed away in 1993.

-Italy defender Alfredo Foni (November 20, 1911-January 28, 1985) would manage the Italian National Team (1954 to 1958). He would fail in qualifying the National Team for the 1958 World Cup.

He would also manage the Swiss National Team (1964-1967).

Photo From: Il Libro Azzurro del Calcio Italiano, Authors Pericle Pratelli, Pasquale Scardillo, 1974

(Alfredo Foni)

-A Stadium was built in Verona in 1990 in honor of Aldo Olivieri (October 2, 1910- April 5, 2001).

‘Stadio Aldo Olivieri is used by Verona’s Feminine squad.

Olivieri was the penultimate survivor of the Italian squad starters.

Photo From: La Grande Storia del Calcio Italiano,  L'apoteosi di Parigi, Issue 8, April 1965

(Aldo Olivieri)

-Italians Pietro Rava, Alfredo Foni, Sergio Bertoni and Ugo Locatelli are the only four Italian players to have won the World Cup and the Olympics Title.

-Italy’s Bruno Chizzo (April 19, 1916-August 1969) was Italy’s youngest player in the squad. He did not play a game throughout the tournament.

Aldo Donati (September 29, 1910-November 3, 1984) was also a World Cup champion, though he never played for Italy.

-Pietro Serantoni (December 11, 1906-October 6, 1964), at 3I years old, was the oldest of Italy’s starters. He was the first of the 1938 World Cup winners to pass away (1964).

Photo From: La Grande Storia del Calcio Italiano,  L'apoteosi di Parigi, Issue 8, April 1965

(Pietro Serantoni)

-The Italian Oriundi, the Uruguay-born Michele Andreolo’s first name was actually Miguel Angel.

It is written that died “forgotten and in misery” in 1981.

-The day after the victory, Vittorio Pozzo was asked at the ‘Gare de Lyon’ Train station at Paris (upon departure back to Rome), “what would he do now?”.

His response was that he would “rest near his mother and son, and find wisdom and innocence..”

After his coaching career, Pozzo would get back to write for ‘La Stampa’.

Turin declined to name the stadium built specially for the 1990 World Cup after him (it would be named Stadio Delle Alpi). It was believed because Pozzo’s image had been somewhat tarnished in the succeeding Generations as a puppet of Mussolini.

-For decades, in various sources Brazil’s Leonidas was credited as being the top goalscorer with 8 goals. This apparently took hold in the 1940s.

Leonidas was credited with having scored 4 goals against Poland.

Leonidas himself had always maintained that he had scored three goals in that match.

In the most current and up to date records, Leonidas is credited as being the top goalscorer with 7 goals and not 8.

Photo From: Le Miroir Des Sports, Issue 1007, June 14, 1938

(A cartoon about the World Cup)

Photo From: Histoire de la Coupe Du Monde, 1930-1982, Author Eric Lahmy, Illustrations by Robert Bressy

(Cartoon illustration of the World Cup)

Photo From: Histoire de la Coupe Du Monde, 1930-1982, Author Eric Lahmy, Illustrations by Robert Bressy

(Cartoon illustration of the World Cup)