THE WORLD CUP: AN IMPORTANT STAGE FOR LATIN AMERICA

Translated by Benedetta Calice

The World Cup has always played a key role in raising the profile of the participating countries, a role that goes beyond the footballing abilities of the players. Indeed, it provides a broad overview of the geopolitical dynamics of the moment, as was the case with West Germany in the 1990s, or as is currently happening with the tensions between the United States and Iran.

Furthermore, being the host country for the tournament itself is also of great significance. In this respect, Latin America has always been a powerhouse. As well as holding numerous titles – just think of the most recent one, won by Argentina in 2022 – the first edition in history took place in Uruguay in 1930, who went on to win the tournament eventually.

Latin America at the World Cup through the years: titles won and tournaments hosted

Following the first edition in 1930, the tournament returned to Latin America in 1950, specifically to Brazil. It was a tournament that went down in history for the so-called ‘Maracanazo’ – the humiliating defeat suffered by Brazil at the hands of Uruguay in the final. It provided an opportunity for Latin American teams to prove their worth on the sporting stage, despite the imminent onset of the Cold War, during which the continent found itself the scene of major clashes between the two superpowers, as was the case in Cuba.

Following another tournament held in Chile in 1962, the World Cup was hosted once again in South America for two consecutive tournaments, in 1970 and 1986, both of which took place in Mexico.

The 1970 tournament is famous for what is still remembered today as the ‘Match of the Century’ – the clash between Italy and West Germany, which ended 4–3 to Italy. It was a match so full of twists and turns that a commemorative plaque still hangs outside the stadium today. Although Italy reached the final, they were defeated 4–1 by Pelé’s Brazil – Pelé being regarded as the greatest player in history – further highlighting the importance of football in Latin America.

The 1986 World Cup, for its part, is undoubtedly one of the most memorable in football history, and has indeed gone down in history as ‘Diego Armando Maradona’s tournament’, with Maradona also considered one of the greatest players of all time.

During the quarter-final match against England, the Argentine footballer staged the most significant footballing event of the 1980s by scoring two historic goals. The first was the ‘Mano de Dios’, scored with his hand; the second, however, is remembered as the ‘Goal of the Century’, so named because Maradona dribbled past the entire English defence, starting from midfield. The match itself, however, also remains memorable for the geopolitical issues of the time. The Falklands War between England and Argentina had, in fact, ended just four years earlier with an English victory. Consequently, the match was viewed by the Argentine team as a sort of rematch. Shortly before kick-off, there were violent clashes between English and Argentine ultras; during the match, English supporters waved their flags whilst chanting patriotic songs referencing the war victory. All this prompted Maradona to make the ‘Hand of God’ gesture as a sign of revenge, to the extent that a few years later he admitted that ‘it wasn’t about winning a match, it was about eliminating the British’, thus confessing that he still had what had happened a few years earlier fresh in his mind.

Another interesting aspect of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico is the fact that the tournament was originally due to take place in Colombia. However, following FIFA’s substantial financial demands and the instability caused by the drug cartels, the then President Belisario Betancur decided to allocate the funds earmarked for the World Cup to the country’s stabilisation. This was a unique decision, as to date no other leader has ever decided to forgo an event of such magnitude in order to prioritise the people, although there have been some rather controversial cases for similar reasons, such as when Latin America once again hosted the tournament in Brazil in 2014.

The 2014 tournament in Brazil is remembered for having been preceded by numerous domestic protests. Government spending on building and refurbishing the stadiums – regarded as ‘white elephants’ – amounted to around 11 billion euros, spent despite public services such as healthcare, education and transport being in a disastrous state. It was precisely for this reason that, in the days immediately leading up to the start of the matches, thousands of people took to the streets under the slogan ‘não vai ter Copa’ (there won’t be a World Cup). The protests, however, were suppressed through the heavy use of tear gas and rubber bullets, and thus failed to achieve any results.

Even the current World Cup, hosted simultaneously by three countries for the first time, has not been without controversy.

Mexico, which is hosting the tournament for the third time, has been the scene of violent clashes and protest marches due to the growing crisis surrounding the ‘Desaparesidos’. In fact, some 130,000 people are currently reported missing, likely for reasons linked to organised crime, and the protests aim to shed light on these disappearances as well as accusing the government of attempting to ‘cover up’ the humanitarian crisis through the World Cup.

In the United States, however, controversy has arisen over the ‘travel ban’, which prevented supporters of several national teams from travelling to the US. An even more extreme case is that of Iran, whose team risked being excluded from the tournament altogether. Once readmitted, the team was forced to base itself in Mexico whilst playing in the United States, thus compelling the players and staff to endure constant travel and thorough border checks.

All this demonstrates how Latin America has always played a fundamental role in sporting competitions, including the World Cup, which reflect the conditions of the people and help to highlight the main critical issues at national and, above all, international level.

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