So, it’s been a nice couple of weeks watching World Cup action: three games a day, one at a time. That all changed today. As the group stage enters the half-way point, the schedule abruptly changes. Now, there are two times and four games, requiring all games to be on at the same time as another. The reason? You guessed it: a German non-aggression pact.
In 1982, an odd set of circumstances led into the final game of the group stage between West Germany and Austria. Turns out, a German win with a score of 1-0 or 2-0 would allow both West Germany and Austria to advance to the next round. A German win by a larger margin would secure Algeria’s place, while a German loss or tie would knock them out. So, it’s widely expected (because, well, of course you would), that the final score, an unsurprising 1-0, was fixed by the two teams.
In German, this match is known by two names: Nichtangriffspakt von Gijón, or Non-Aggression Pact of Gijón (after the town the match in which the match was played), or Schande von Gijón, or Shame of Gijón.
FIFA consequently mandated that all final group stage matches occur at the same time. And that’s why France v. South Africa was on at the same time as Mexico v. Uruguay this morning.
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