Berlin: Football returned home in 1966, and England, the birthplace of the game, organised and won a tournament which saw good play and numerous goals, and created unforgettable memories. The World Cup, which was already a success, was now entering a new phase, moving towards the truly global and mass event it is today.

The English had scorned the early world championships. But they did finally take part in 1950, and then applied 10 years later to host the 1966 version. West Germany had also made a bid, but Spain withdrew its before the vote was held. A month after being awarded the event, the English gained a valuable ally when its countryman Stanley Rous was elected FIFA president.

Important decisions

Under his rule two important decisions were reached regarding the 1966 championships — doping controls were introduced and the nationalisation of foreign players was prohibited. There were also some very controversial decisions before the ball started to roll.

FIFA decided in 1964 that the winner of the African qualification stage would have to play off with the winner from Asia and Oceania. The 16 African nations registered for the qualifying round proceeded to boycott the tournament in protest.

Nevertheless, a record 70 countries signed up to seek one of the 16 places in the finals — 10 for Europe, four for South America, one for Central and North America, and one for Asia and Oceania. The big surprises were Portugal, which eliminated Czechoslovakia, and North Korea, both of whom continued to amaze the experts in the finals.

Trophy stolen

Four months before the inaugural kick-off, the organisers were shaken when the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen while being exhibited in the English capital. London police searched in vain for a week until a little dog, Pickles, out for a walk with his owner, found the trophy while digging under a tree in a park. Pickles promptly became a national hero.

All these problems were forgotten for good once the tournament, held in eight cities from July 11 to 30, got underway and the football proved generally to be of a higher quality than four years earlier in Chile.

The first big surprise was the elimination of Brazil, champions in 1958 and 1962. The Brazilians failed to get past the first round, with Pele brutally kicked and injured in the two matches he played. His magic was replaced by that of Portugal, which was also in the Brazil group and which finished the championships in third place. Its star, Eusebio, led all scorers with nine goals.

One of the biggest upsets in football history occurred when North Korea defeated Italy 1-0. And the Asians came close to a second major surprise, jumping to a 3-0 lead against Portugal in the quarterfinals before succumbing 5-3.

Extra-time

Following 31 exciting matches, West Germany and England met in the final at Wembley Stadium in London in front of almost 1,00,000 spectators. After 90 minutes, the score was tied 2-2. This meant that extra-time would be required for the first time ever at a World Cup, and it also resulted in the most controversial decision in football history.

In the 102nd minute, Geoff Hurst, who would score a hat-trick, fired off a shot which hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down. Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst, after consulting a Soviet linesman, gave the goal for England, a decision which has led to heated disputes ever since.

The final score was 4-2, and the whole country burst into celebration. England was world champions at last. — DPA

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