“West Germany weren’t half as impressive in the early matches as Holland. They fell to an embarrassing defeat in the group stage to East Germany, though that proved a more political and ideological blow than a sporting one, given it sent them into the easier second-stage group alongside Poland, Sweden and Yugoslavia. Or, to put it another way, Not Holland, Not Holland, and Not Holland.”
World Cup Stunning Moments: the Cruyff Turn is born in 1974 – S. Murray, The Guardian, Sunday 27th May 2018, (accessed online: 28/06/18)
The 1974 FIFA World Cup is perhaps best remembered for the emergence of arguably one of the greatest international sides to ever grace the game. The Netherlands team, captained by the exceptional Johan Cruyff, are credited with the invention of ‘Total Football’ which revolutionised the global game with its fluid tactical structure where all eleven players were expected to change positions and pass the ball with ease. The Dutch national side reached the final of both the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cup and the development of this system saw them dominate European competitions in the early 1970s. Ajax Amsterdam, its major proponents, won the European Cup in three successive seasons between 1971 and 1973 while Feyenoord Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven also won major trophies during the decade.
Despite their iconic status during this period the Netherlands failed to win either of the World Cup finals they contested in the 1970s losing on both occasions to the host nations: respectively West Germany in 1974 and Argentina in 1978. The West Germany side of 1974 were by no means a traditionally structured side with centre-back Franz Beckenbauer and left-back Paul Breitner well known for their passing ability and marauding forward runs, the creative flair of midfielder Wolfgang Overath and the goal scoring prowess of centre forward Gerd Muller. Their performances in the latter stages of the 1974 tournament were not short of entertaining and skilful football, however, this could be seen as a reaction to their embarrassing group stage defeat to their nearest neighbours, and political rivals, East Germany.
As discussed in an earlier blog post (Germany vs Germany) Germany had been occupied and divided following the Second World War: West Germany was established as a capitalist democracy economically, ideologically and militarily allied to the USA, Britain and France while East Germany became a communist satellite state of the USSR. The pre-war capital, Berlin, was similarly divided despite its location within East Germany and this political and military division was made tangible with the construction of the Berlin Wall by East Germany and the USSR in 1961. Prior to its construction there had been widespread emigration from East to West leading to a talent drain in key industries accompanied by understandable fears for the already ailing East German economy.
Although the political tension between East and West intensified throughout the 1950s and 1960s the same cannot be said for the two German nations’ sporting relations. Until 1968 a United Team of Germany included athletes from both sides of the divide in the Olympic Games with the two football teams competing in a play-off to represent Germany between 1960 and 1968. In 1960 the West won and reached the quarter-finals but this was bettered by the East in 1964 who reached the semi-finals and took home the bronze medal. Neither nation qualified in 1968 but in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich both sides not only qualified (West Germany automatically as hosts) but went on to meet each other in the second round group stage. In this ‘must win’ match East Germany triumphed 3-2 and went on to share the bronze medal with the USSR.
The exclusion of professional athletes in Olympic football gave East Germany an advantage over their Western neighbours as the East German league, like all communist sporting institutions, remained an amateur organisation. In the FIFA World Cup, where no such limitations were in place, East Germany failed to qualify for the 1966 and 1970 finals tournaments while West Germany finished as runners-up and in third place respectively. In 1972 they won the European Championship and, as hosts of the 1974 FIFA World Cup, they were not required to qualify for the finals. East Germany topped a qualification group including Romania, Finland and Albania and joined their neighbours in the draw for the group stage. When both sides were drawn together in Group 1 there were fears that East Germany would withdraw from the tournament but these were quickly allayed by the nation’s government who confirmed their participation.
The fixture schedule ensured that the two German teams would play out the last fixture in their group. West Germany beat both Chile and Australia in their first two games while East Germany defeated Australia and drew with Chile. However, a 0-0 draw between the two non-German sides played a few hours before their meeting on June 22nd meant that both West Germany and East Germany were now guaranteed a place in the second round and would be only competing for top spot in the group and, probably more significantly, sporting and political bragging rights. In front of 62,000 fans in Hamburg the East German team ran out the 1-0 winners of a tightly-fought match thanks to a goal from midfielder Jürgen Sparwasser.
As the quote at the start of this post states although East Germany topped the group they were faced with a much tougher second round stage than their neighbours being drawn against the Netherlands, Brazil and Argentina. They suffered defeats against the Dutch and Brazilians but gained a creditable draw with Argentina before exiting the tournament. West Germany won all three of their second round games after making significant changes to their line-up and formation following the defeat to East Germany and it was with this system that they defeated the lauded Netherlands in the final. East Germany went on to win gold in the 1976 Summer Olympic football tournament but failed to qualify for another World Cup. Despite West German desire for a rematch the two German teams never met again in a full international before German reunification in 1990 although shortly beforehand they had been drawn together in the qualification stage for the 1992 European Championship. Reunification not only led to East Germany’s withdrawal from the tournament but also ensured that the communist East remained undefeated against the capitalist West on the football pitch.
Commentator's Curse: “The key thing was to learn the value of economy with words and to never insult the viewer by telling them what they can already see” - the words of the late great Richie Benaud. While Benaud was speaking more about his experience as a cricket commentator than commentary in general I feel it is advice that would help those bleating along to what has, in my opinion, been one of the most enthralling football tournaments in years. The games have been of such quality that Mark Lawrenson's hackneyed grumbling and Clive Tyldesley's hammy attempts to heighten tension are serving only to take away from the entertainment and drama. At least we haven't had to endure the latter screaming "ROOOOOOOONEY" this time around thanks to the youthful and considerably more likeable make up of the England team. It might even be coming home.
Moving forward: If you're enjoying this blog (or just enduring it) and want to get involved please feel free. I'm more than happy to look into any suggestions you may have for topics or, better still, share your work if you fancy writing a post about a particular team, tournament or match with a political backdrop. Drop me a note below if you're keen.
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