1982 FIFA World Cup controversies
There were two main controversies during the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
The first was the Shame of Gijon, when West Germany and Austria appeared to conspire to eliminate Algeria with a 1-1 draw. Algeria protested to FIFA, who ruled that the result be allowed to stand; FIFA introduced a revised qualification system at subsequent World Cups in which the final two games in each group were played simultaneously. Many were surprised to see that Schumacher was not even booked.
In the game between Kuwait and France, with France leading 3–1, France midfielder Alain Giresse scored a goal vehemently contested by the Kuwait team, who had stopped play after hearing a piercing whistle from the stands, which they thought had come from Soviet referee Miroslav Stupar. Play had not yet resumed when Sheikh Fahid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, brother of the Kuwaiti Emir and president of the Kuwaiti Football Association, rushed onto the pitch to remonstrate with the referee. Stupar countermanded his initial decision and disallowed the goal to the fury of the French. Maxime Bossis scored another valid goal a few minutes later and France won 4–1. Stupar lost his international refereeing credentials as a result of this incident, and Al-Sabah received a $10,000 fine.[citation needed]
The second controversy also involved West Germany; it occurred during the semi-final match with France. The German goalkeeper Schumacher injured seriously the French player Battiston challenging for a ball at the edge of the penalty area.
Before the competition
Falkland Islands war
There was some consideration given as to whether England, Northern Ireland and Scotland should withdraw from the tournament due to the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom.[1] A directive issued by the British sports minister Neil Macfarlane in April, at the start of the conflict, suggested that there should be no contact between British representative teams and Argentina[1] This directive was not rescinded until August, following the end of hostilities.[1] Neil Macfarlane, the Sports Minister, reported to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that some players and officials were uneasy about participating due to the casualties being suffered by British forces.[1] FIFA advised the British Government that there was no prospect of Argentina (the defending champions) being asked to withdraw.[1] It also became apparent that no other countries would withdraw from the tournament.[1] It was decided to allow the British national teams to participate because it could have been used for propaganda purposes by Argentina, rather than having the intended effect of applying political pressure onto Argentina.[1]
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