Soccer Nostalgia: Events and Consequences, Part Two

1- Event:

Harald Schumacher’s controversial autobiography in the spring of 1987 that caused uproar in German soccer circles.

Among his most controversial claims was that doping was commonplace in the Bundesliga.

Consequence:

He was dismissed from the National team setup as well as his club Koln.

This paved the way for his understudy Bodo Illgner to be elevated as Koln’s number one goalkeeper.

In almost no time, he was also elevated to the National Team, first as number two to Eike Immel and then from the Fall of 1988 as Number one.

Photo from: Onze, March 1983

(Harald Schumacher)

Photo from: Fussball Magazin, May 1987

(Bodo Illgner with Koln, 1986/87)

2- Event:

The simultaneous retirements of Alain Giresse, Dominique Rocheteau and Maxime Bossis from the French National team following the 1986 World Cup.

Consequence:

With these retirements and the impending retirements in the following year of Michel Platini, Patrick Battiston and Jean Tigana, the French national team went into a decline with no ready-made replacements.

This post-Mexico generation is regarded as the Lost Generation. They failed to qualify for the 1988 Euros as well as the 1990 World Cup.

Photo From: L'Integrale de L'Equipe de France de Football, Authors: J.M. and Pierre Cazal, Michel Oreggia, 1998

(France’s last full strength squad at Mexico, June 25, 1986, World Cup, West Germany 2-France 0, Top, left to right, Manuel Amoros, Joël Bats, William Ayache, Patrick Battiston, Maxime Bossis, Luis Fernandez, Bottom, left to right, Alain Giresse, Michel Platini, Yannick Stopyra, Bruno Bellone, Jean Tigana)

Photo from: Mondial, September 1986

(France’s first squad post-Mexico, August 19, 1986, Switzerland 2-France 0, Top, left to right, Jean-Christophe Thouvenel, Joël Bats, Manuel Amoros, Patrick Battiston, Gérard Buscher, Basile Boli, Bottom, left to right, Philippe Vercruysse, Fabrice Poullain, Dominique Bijotat, Yannick Stopyra, Jean-Marc Ferreri)

3- Event:

Days prior to England’s quarterfinal clash with West Germany during the 1970 Mexico World Cup, England’s first choice goalkeeper had to withdraw due to stomach trouble.

Peter Bonetti was called in to replace Banks.

Consequence:

The inexperienced Peter Bonetti was blamed for the defeat after England let a 0 to 2 lead to slip away and lost 2 to 3 on June 14, 1970.

This became one of the talking points of England’s failure, whether or not Banks would have saved some of the goals that Bonetti didn’t and other speculation.

Photo From: World Soccer, April 1970

(Peter Bonetti)

Photo From: World Soccer, April 1970

(Gordon Banks)

Photo From: Chronik des deutschen fussballs, 2005

(Gerd Muller scoring West Germany’s third with Bonetti unable to stop, June 14, 1970, World Cup, West Germany 3-England 2)

4- Event:

1990 World Cup winner and German defender Thomas Berthold was sent off in an EC Qualifier vs. Wales on June 5, 1991 at Cardiff for kicking Wales’ Kevin Ratcliffe.

Consequence:

UEFA suspended Berthold for five competitive matches.

Germany Manager Berti Vogts announced that Berthold would not be included for the Euro 92 Finals squad, as he would miss the first two matches on suspension.

Around the same time he had joined Bayern Munich and was unable to adapt and lost his place.

At this point any international call-up seemed unlikely.

He transferred to Stuttgart in 1993 to resurrect his career and was successful by 1994 to return to the National Team and played in the 1994 World Cup.

Photo from : Onze-Mondial, August 1991

(Thomas Berthold and Stuart Pearce, July 4, 1990, World Cup, West Germany 1-England 1)

5- Event:

1) France Captain and Manchester United’s Eric Cantona’s kung-fu kick vs. Crystal Palace on January 25, 1995.

2) France and Newcastle’s David Ginola’s insistence on a starting position with France Manager Aime Jacquet in the Fall of 1995.

Consequence:

Eric Cantona was suspended from any Football (Club or International) for almost nine months.

In his absence France Manager Aime Jacquet sought to implement and impose a system built around the playmaking abilities of Zinedine Zidane and as his partner Youri Djorkaeff.

Ginola’s demand also forced Jacquet to drop him for good.

With his suspension over and the upcoming Euros in 1996 to be played in England, Jacquet wanted Cantona to be re-integrated but as a center forward as his system with Zidane seemed to be functioning.

Cantona refused and never played for France again.