The most calamitous of our eliminations on the way to the World Cup (there were four, with a view to Switzerland-1954, Sweden-1958, Mexico-1970 and Germany-1974; we did not register for the other two that we missed, Uruguay-1930 and France-1938) was the first of all, against Turkey. A funny episode, with a coach who took office for the rare merit of being the dentist of the president of the Federation and with an extravagant outcome: a 14-year-old Roman boy, sneaked into the changing rooms of the Olympic Stadium in Rome, was chosen as the innocent hand for a draw that classified the Turks.
It came to that after a victory in Madrid, a defeat in Istanbul and a tied tiebreaker in Rome. All that caught me when I was three innocent and ignorant years old, but for a long time I would hear from my elders and read in the press Jeremiah laments for that upside-down Lepanto.
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In 1950 we were fourth in Uruguay, so the precedent was encouraging. There we had beaten the English with an eternal goal from Atom which caused the then president of the Federation, Dr. Muñoz Caleroexcessive enthusiasm. Matías Prats He established a connection on National Radio to “offer victory to the Caudillo”, and filled with enthusiasm, the federative president blurted out: “Your Excellency, we have defeated the Perfidious Albion!” That created a diplomatic awkwardness that would cost him his job.
He General MoscardoNational Delegate of Sports as a reward for his defense of the Alcázar of Toledo, named in the first instance Manuel Valdes Larrañagaan early Falangist (old shirt, they called themselves, as a special caste, to differentiate themselves from the careerists who at the end of the war came in their thousands to the aid of the victor). But he was seen and not seen, because he was soon appointed ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
On January 31, 1952, Moscardo He entrusted the position to the Jerez native Sancho Dávila and Fernández de Celisanother meaning old shirt, second cousin of Jose Antonio. An urban gunman in the days of the Republic, the coup d’état caught him in the Modelo prison in Madrid, from which he escaped thanks to the Cuban Embassy.
He was a man of the bull, so his appointment did not sit well with football people, since there was still distrust between both worlds. When I was a child it was common for someone to ask you if you liked football or bullfighting. Upon his arrival he found himself without a coach, because the one there was, the legendary Ricardo Zamoraaccepted a stunning offer from Venezuela. He solved it by hiring Pedro Escartínthe great wise man of Spanish football.
Anti-communist symbol
It debuted with a 0-1 against Argentina and followed with a 2-2 against Germany and a 3-1 against Belgium, all in Spain. It wasn’t what was expected. This was followed by a tour of South America in the summer of 1953, which marked the debut of Giving birththe first great imported genius of our football.
Escaped from Hungary with a current contract with Vasas, he was unable to play in Italy due to the force of the Italian Communist Party and was welcomed with open arms in Franco’s Spain as an anti-communist symbol. Bernabéu tried to sign him, but the Federation dissuaded him because he was suspended by FIFA. Barça, which had the secretary of the Federation on its side, Ricardo Cabotmanaged to register him as an amateur in order to use him in friendlies. After a few months, after nationalizing him after a Catholic baptism in Águilas (the town of the aforementioned Muñoz Calero), went on to play for Barça, without transfer FIFA.
He debuted in the 1951 Cup, which he won, as he would win the League and Cup double in 1952 and 1953, plus the 1952 Latin Cup. He was a superior footballer and a great propaganda element for the Franco regime, which released a film-pamphlet starring him, The Aces Seek Peace. The preached persecution of Barça by the Regime has a harsh denial in this forgotten episode.
Preparation match between the Spanish teams and Plus Ultra.E.M.
The mandatory three years had not yet passed since his nationalization (it occurred on June 1, 1953) to play for Spain, but Escartín took him on his tour. Since he was considered a Supermanthe new defeat in Argentina (1-0) and the poverty of the victory in Chile (1-2) were shocking. Escartín was always a bit of a divot, the criticism for his defensive play on the tour offended him and he resigned.
Marca conducted a national survey among its readers to find a replacement, proposing four names. Sancho Davila He thought that they wanted to impose a successor on him, he decided to take matters into his own hands and made a splash by choosing his dentist. Just like it sounds. It was called Luis Iribar And it’s not that he was an absolute layman in football, like his patient: he had played in the amateur era for Real Unión de Irún, although not for long, and was more of a substitute.
He went to New York, where he earned a doctorate in dentistry and set up a practice in Madrid. When I sat down Sancho Davila On the torture rack I talked to him about football to distract him. He was nothing more than a mere fan, a regular at Chamartín and the Metropolitano, but without contacts in the world or a glorious past to back him up, but the president thought he was a well of science, he put him on the Competition Committee, and made him a selector.
We had to face qualification for Switzerland-1954. It didn’t seem difficult: a double clash with Turkey, a very second-rate country in football, with a short international record: 23 games, seven won, three tied and 13 lost, 25 goals scored, 50 conceded. Spain’s was another: 97 games, 54 wins, 22 draws, 21 losses, 224 goals for and 125 against. We had been fourth in the last World Cup, and we received reinforcement from Giving birth. What were we to fear?
Failed trial
There was a previous test, a friendly against Sweden, in San Mamés, on November 8, 1953. Sweden had a certain prestige, but its league was still amateur and its good players were systematically absorbed by Italy, or in some cases, by Spain, and the national team lost them. In San Mamés, three firefighters, three waiters, two porters, an engineer, an administrator and a baker would line up, as reported by Marca.
No trace of the Skoglund, Carlsson, Palmer, Gren, Liedholm or the brothers Nordahlall of them famous professionals. But, even with that and with Kubala, we tied 2-2. On arrival He accused the defense and acted interesting: “I already warned before the match that Sweden was dangerous.”
Türkiye visited us on Three Kings Day 1954, on a sunny afternoon and with the fields packed. Only four of those from the fiasco in San Mamés repeat. The goalkeeper and the entire defense fall. It is also not Giving birth. Apart from the fact that they played poorly against Sweden, it was now an official match and just in case… Spain wins 4-1. Good. We already have half a ticket.
On March 14, the visit is returned. It is enough to draw in Istanbul. That thing about the Turkish hell comes up, the fear of being trapped in a dry field, the aggressive crowd and all that, so it is decided to have Giving birth. A little afraid, but he gets along. Only five of those who won in Madrid are left, due to the obsession that they had to play differently. The result is a painful puncture: 1-0. Since the classification is by points, not by goals, the defeat leads us to a playoff whose date and place were predetermined: three days later, in Rome.
Spanish national team players posing before facing Turkey in 1954.MARK
The group, of course, is the same and flies directly from Istanbul. Now, on a neutral field, good terrain and once the surprise has been digested, we take victory for granted. Of course it will play Giving birthbecause, although he had not done anything in Istanbul, he continued to rely on his exceptional class. On the eve he is one of the most animated, he even promises two goals to compensate for his previous bad game.
Our boys are already doing their massage shifts when Ottorino Barassipresident of the Italian Federation and vice-president of the FIFA, arrives an intriguing telegram of the body that vice-president: “attention team team Kublas. It delivers it to the colonel Gómez-Zamalloadirector of the Spanish team, an Africanist military man who coined the phrase “Now, gentlemen, cojones and españolía” in a fervor for the national team during the break of a match in Switzerland. He shows it with indignant shouts, hoping to ignore it. She choked e On arrival They are perplexed. Muñoz Calero, who is a member of the FIFA committee, advises caution and ensures that the shirt with the number 8 of Giving birth put it on Passion guitar.
Four new players leave for Istanbul and two of the seven repeat players play in different positions. Türkiye repeats eleven. He takes to the field with the peace of someone who has nothing to lose and everything to gain (his coach, the Italian Sandro Puppospent the day before saying that they felt eliminated beforehand). Trying to win over the public, each player carries a few packs of tobacco and approaches the public to throw them. Tobacco was a luxury good in those post-war years, when there were specialists in recycling cigarette butts throughout Europe. Spain is left unfocused by the telegram and its consequences. And he knows he is between a rock and a hard place.
The match starts at 3:30 p.m. and is passionately followed here by Radio Nacional in the voice of the legendary Matías Prats. Türkiye runs and runs, its football is imprecise but fast and Spain plays uneasily, although it manages to take the lead with a goal from the debutant winger Arteche in the 19th minute. The score moves like this: 1-0, 1-1, half-time, 1-2 and 2-2, this one in the 79th minute, the work of Escudero when we saw each other outside. In extra time there are no goals, which leads us to the draw.
A funeral return
The Spanish delegation tries to agree on a new tiebreaker, but the Turks refuse and Ottorino Barassi adheres to the regulations. He would have liked to please us, since Spain was more prominent in the World Cup than Türkiye, but Turkey was inflexible. You look for a cup in which you put two papers, after typing on each one the name of one of the two countries, and then folding them. In Spain, Sancho Davila adds a cross, imploring divine favor. (I don’t know if his Turkish counterpart painted a half moon on his). A 14-year-old boy named Franco Gemmason of a field caretaker, who had sneaked into the room to browse. He is blindfolded like a kidnapped person, he puts his hand in, he gives a piece of paper to Barassi that read: Türkiye.
The return is funereal, with Zamallo accusing the players of being lazy and Muñoz Calero stating that he already knew that Giving birth He couldn’t play and if he did and we won they would have kicked us out anyway.
Franco Gemma He became famous in Spain and famous in Türkiye, which invited him to the World Cup in Switzerland. Sandro Puppohaloed by the success of that classification, was hired by Barça, where he would play. Sancho Davila He returned to the world of bullfighting. On arrivalto your query. In four games he used 24 players. Only Venancio He played them all, although alternating the interior and striker positions.