Fascism & Football: When Germany were the inferior team

Mathias Sindelar was the Viennese legend at the time. He was known for his attacking prowess in front of goal and his creative style of play. People who watched him fell in love with the sport. His fame was not confined to Austria. He was wanted by a host of clubs including Manchester United. Affectionately known as Sindi, he was voted as Austria’s greatest sportsman of the 20th century. This was after he died at the tender age of 36.

In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria in what came to be known as the ‘Anschluss’- the political union of the two nations. This offered Hitler the wonderful chance of building the football team by getting the Austrian star players to represent the Die Mannschaft, by forcibly recruiting them. Still hurt by his side’s embarrassing showing at the home Olympics, the German dictator wanted to build a team that would reinstate German superiority in the field of sport. Despite various threats from the various police wings of the Nazi regime and Hitler himself, Sindelar refused to oblige the Führer and did not agree to join the revamped German side. He made his point clear as he scored one of two goals leading to Germany’s defeat in a ‘farewell’ match to Austria immediately before the planned integration. Austrians were asked to lose the match with Sindelar, the captain of his side reportedly personally asked to do so. The Austrians refused. And to make his point further clear, he, after scoring, went in front of the VIP box (which was filled with Nazi officials) along with another teammate and danced in celebration. Not a year later, Sindelar was killed in his sleep with the help of carbon monoxide fumes. He was just 36 at the time.

There are many versions to how he died. People speculated that he committed suicide because he was unable to do what he loved with freedom- play football. The majority claimed that it was the work of the Nazis. The Gestapo file on him had him marked as pro-Jewish and a social democrat. His death, however, has been registered as an accident. This was only because his friend, Egon Ulbrich, wanted to give him a state funeral which could only be done without a criminal element being involved in it (criminal referring to both murder & suicide). This scandal showed that Hitler would meet any sort of defiance not with even tolerance but with the most ruthless of consequences.

By this time, Britain and her allies were engaged in a policy of ‘appeasement’- a diplomatic policy of making political or material concessions to an enemy power in order to avoid conflict. Football proved to be something which could be relied upon as a soother in the time where the air was volatile and always uncertain. England travelled to Berlin to play the Germans, two months after Germany had captured Austria. The Englishmen won 6-3 but German prestige got no blow. Losing to England was not shameful as every team at the time was accustomed to the superiority of the Three Lions on the football pitch. Hitler’s priority in the game was merely propaganda. Like in 1935, he wanted to show the world that Germany was not the aggressor that every one made her out to be. It has to be understood that Hitler always wanted his moves to come as a surprise to prevent pre-emptive action to be taken against his nation.

The fact that England went to play football in Germany’s capital simply reinstated the legality of Hitler’s regime. The British government was in fact asked to stop the game from happening but keeping in line with her strict policy of appeasement, it made sure the game went ahead as planned. What made the situation even worse for England was when the international community saw the images of the English football team give the Nazi salute on the pitch during the German national anthem, a gesture which the British foreign office asked the players to do. The fact that Hitler was not even present at the time made this action even more appalling and it was criticised world-wide. But the Führer succeeded in what he wanted.

Edited by Staff Editor