FIFA World Cup flashback - Algeria, 1982 and the Disgrace of Gijon

The World Cup often provides a very thin line between celebration and desperation. In the grandest stage of them all, the Algerian team, along with their fans, enjoyed one while suffering the other in close proximity, in what was one of the most controversial moments in the competition’s history.

The year was 1982. Algeria had probably pulled off the greatest upset in the history of international football.

In their first-ever game in the World Cup, the African nation beat West Germany, who had won each of their eight qualifying matches prior to the World Cup with a goals for-against record of 33-3, and eventually ended the competition as runners-up behind Italy.

The Germans, overwhelming favourites prior to their clash against the African nation, were so confident of a win against the Algerians that they made shockingly disrespectful statements towards their opponents in pre-match interviews. One player said, “We will dedicate our seventh goal to our wives, and the eighth to our dogs,” while another said that he would play the game with cigar in his mouth.

Their manager Jupp Derwall got in on the act as well, suggesting that he would jump onto the first train back to Munich if his team lost the game, and did not even make his players watch a video of Algeria in action because he thought that they would scoff at him.

Their carelessness proved to be their own undoing, as Algeria scripted an amazing underdog 2-1 victory against the Germans in Gijon to jump to the top of their group. Owning a set of players that had played alongside each other for years, the Africans didn’t look to shy away from the mammoth challenge in front of them, and instead played with pace and intent, eventually scoring the opener.

Germany fought back and scored an equaliser around the hour mark, but were left red-faced again soon afterwards when Algeria scored their second, which eventually turned out to become the match-winner.

The euphoria of that win and the celebrations that ensued probably stretched a bit too long however, as Algeria succumbed to a 2-0 loss at the hands of Austria in their second encounter. Austria, unlike the Germans, had done their homework, and caught the excessively-attacking Algerian side on the counter while soaking up the pressure at the back.

Brought back to the ground after their loss against the Austrians, Algeria knew that maximum points were vital in their third and final encounter against Chile in order to make the next stage of the competition, and showed great intent and impetus in their final encounter to enjoy a 3-0 lead at one stage of the game.

Experience and common knowledge would have suggested that they preserve their three-goal lead, thereby ensuring that they held a favourable goal difference and making sure that their opponents would not be able to regain a foothold in the encounter.

However, the brash Algerian team wasn’t going to give up on its attacking ways, which allowed the Chileans a way back, the South Americans striking twice to bring the game back to only a difference of one goal.

Algeria eventually held on for the victory. However, the close margin meant that they were reliant on the happenings of the other game being played in Gijon, where West Germany and Austria were both looking to earn qualifying spots.

The equation was clear. If the Germans beat Austria by a one- or two-goal margin, then both European sides would make it through to the next round. Any other result, and it would be the unheralded Algerians eclipsing expectations to reach the next round.

As the whole of Algeria waited with bated breath, Horst Hrubesch gave the Germans a lead in the 10th minute. What ensued thereafter was, quite simply, what no one had expected. Having realised that the scoreline would help them both, both West Germany and Austria stopped trying to make any more inroads, instead just killing time for the next 80 minutes.

*The video, though not in English, shows how neither team showed a desire to play after the first goal went in, much to the dismay of the crowd.

The Algerian fans in the stands cried foul, claiming that the much-evident match-fixing had robbed them of a dream chance to join the qualify past the first round of the World Cup. The Spanish media, as well as that of Germany and Austria, were more than a touch displeased as well, calling the act a disgrace to the game.

The two teams however were unmoved. As supporters collected around their team hotel to protest, the West Germans threw water bombs to send the crowd away, while a spokesperson for the Austrian side made an astonishing remark about the African nation:

“Naturally today’s game was played tactically. But if 10,000 ‘sons of the desert’ here in the stadium want to trigger a scandal because of this it just goes to show that they have too few schools. Some sheikh comes out of an oasis, is allowed to get a sniff of World Cup air after 300 years and thinks he’s entitled to open his gob.”

No action was taken by FIFA on either West Germany or Austria. However, that day helped set a huge precedent. The footballing world’s governing committee decided that the last games of each group during the group stages of a World Cup competition would have to be played simultaneously, in order to ensure that none of the four teams earned an unfair advantage in their attempts to qualify.

Algeria were left unrewarded for their impressive debut appearance at the world’s biggest football competition. They made the World Cup finals two other times thereafter, most recently in the 2010 event held in South Africa, not crossing the initial group stages on either occasion.

Yet, they had helped leave an indelible mark on the history of the sport on 25th June, 1982 via ‘The disgrace of Gijon’, as it came to be called thereafter.