5 most politically influenced matches in World Cup history

#1 Italy vs. France, 1938

The Italy team performs the Fascist salute

The 1938 tournament in France was the last one to be played before a 12 year-long break due to the World War.

Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini pledged his support to General Franco in the Spanish Civil War, which in turn angered the French. The Italian side faced a greatly hostile reception in France, greeted by an anti-Fascist environment.

The players wore black armbands and did Fascist salutes before each match, greeted by a crescendo of hate and abuse each time. Italy faced France in the quarter-finals, and the tension was sky-high.

The uniforms of both sides were blue, so a draw was made to decide who would wear white. Italy lost it, but they wore black instead, an order rumoured to be sent by Mussolini.

On the pitch, Italy eventually ran out 3-1 winners, on their way to a consecutive World Cup crown.

Coach Vittorio Pozzo's words perfectly demonstrated the Italian attitude in 1938. "At the salute, we predictably met with a solemn and deafening barrage of whistles, insults, and remarks. We had just put our hands down and the violent demonstration started again. Straight away: “Team, be ready. Salute.” And we raised our hands again, to confirm we had no fear … Having won the battle of intimidation, we played."