Uruguayan Hector Castro remains the only one-armed man to score a World Cup final goal. In 1930 the forward who had lost his right forearm in an electric saw accident aged 13, helped his country to a 4-2 win over Argentina.
Zaire played in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany literally with a gun to their heads. The surprise first black-African qualifiers had been warned by the country’s then President Mobutu Sese Seko that should they lose by four goals or more to holders Brazil in their final group match, there would be dire consequences. They only lost by three goals and the team returned home unscathed. But the enormous pressure showed with a bizarre incident. As the Brazilia1ns prepared to take a free kick 25 yards from his goal, Zaire’s defender Mwepu Ilunga burst from the defensive wall and simply hoofed the ball upfield. It landed him with a yellow card.
The love of football led to the death of legendary Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman in 1934. Despite having a bad cold, he insisted on attending an inconsequential Arsenal reserve match and days later was dead from pneumonia.
Faith healer Eileen Drewery was brought into the England squad as an adviser prior to the 1998 World Cup. A long-time friend and mentor of coach Glenn Hoddle, he said she was «more of an agony aunt».
Argentinian fans crossing the River Plate in boats to getto the 1930 World Cup final in Montevideo were met by Uruguayan police and relieved of firearms.
Chaos reigned at the 1982 World Cup finals when the president of the Kuwait FA, Sheikh Fahid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, marched on to the field to berate a referee and threatened to take his side off. The row was over Kuwait, trailing 3-1 to Michel Platini’s France, conceding a fourth goal scored by Alain Giresse because several of their players had stopped, thinking that they had heard the ref’s whistle. lncredibly, the referee gave in to Al-Sabah’s forceful argument and the goal was ruled out. In the remaining minutes France did go on to add a fourth goal and the referee would lose his international status, presumably for being weak.
Sexy football got a new meaning from German doctor Kai Loehle when he advised Dortmund and Hertha Berlin’s players to have more sex over the Christmas break. The squads had been issued with special watches that monitor their fitness levels while away from their club trainers. Detailed reports of heart rates and muscle functions could be downloaded from the Polar S410 monitors so the bosses would know if their stars had been taking it easy. Loehle’s advice was to get laid over Christmas instead of jogging. He explained: «During sexual intercourse one’s pulse reaches the same rate as in football sprinting – about 190 to 200 for a few minutes.»
Luxembourg side Jeunesse Hautcharage crashed to a thenrecord aggregate score of 21-0 in the 1971-72 European Cup Winners’ Cup. In the side of part-timers against Chelsea were a one-armed man and another whose glasses were held on by an elastic band.
Brazilian footballer Eriberto confessed in 2007 that he wasn’t himself and was suspended by FIFA for playing under a false name. The Chievo midfielder admitted he had changed his identity to help his career by making teams believe he was younger. The former Palmeiras and Bologna player was really Luciano Siqueira de Oliveira and four years older than the 27 he claimed to be at the time of his revelation. He had previously been listed as Eriberto Silva da Conceicao, born in Rio de Janiero in 1979.
Two high-profile players of the successful Leeds United side at the turn of the 21st century went on trial in 2001 over an attack on an Asian student. It followed a nightclub incident that left Safraz Najeib severely injured. Midfielder Lee Bowyer and defender Jonathan Woodgate were charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray. Bowyer was cleared, while Woodgate was convicted of affray and sentenced to community service. In 2005, Bowyer, who was suspended for cannabis use in 1995, agreed a £170,000 out-of-court settlement with the victim and his less seriously injured brother.
Animosity between two German clubs was so intense that players from Nuremberg and Furth selected for the national team travelled separately by train to play against Holland in 1924. When Auer scored the only – and winning – goal, only Furth colleagues celebrated with him. The Nuremberg players ignored him.
Former England star Stan Collymore confessed in 2004 to having sex with strangers in car parks. Despite being married, Collymore admitted to getting involved in an underground sex practice known as dogging and cruising the sites where it went on. The former Liverpool striker visited dogging sites airound 15 times after reading about them on the internet. He said: «What I have done is disgusting and I’m so ashamed, but I’m only human. I have been to dogging sites maybe 15 times and yes I had sex during them.»
