THE BATTLE OF BERNE: NO NEED FOR TOTAL FOOTBALL

THE BATTLE OF BERNE: NO NEED FOR TOTAL FOOTBALL
Date: 27th June, 1954
Venue: Wankdorf Stadium, Berne

In a global and established competition like the FIFA World Cup, there are bound to be a lot of controversial games. Even though those controversies always act as hangover going into subsequent competitions and matches between the teams involved but they are part of what set the round leather game apart from other sports

Among the controversial games in the FIFA World Cup history, the battle of Berne is one of the most prominent and memorable. To think this interesting match did not make it to the top 5 ranking of our most controversial games of the World Cup in our soon to be released exclusive FIFA World Cup Magazine, THE MUNDIAL (Watch out), should raise our curiosity about which games made the list.

The Battle of Berne was the quarter final match between Brazil and Hungary in the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland. The fixture had the type of expectation you will have when the present Spanish national team is playing the Brazilian national team. You would expect a lot of attacking and end to end game of soccer but the battle of Berne served its viewers with something quite different and phenomenal.


By 1954, the Hungarian team led by Sandor Kocsis and Ferenc Puskas had grown to be the strongest team in the world and were the favorites to win the 1954 World Cup. Why not the favorites? They were unbeaten in four years and no one expected them to be beaten soon. If any team defeated the Hungarian team then, it would be noised around like the whole world will hear when Barcelona is beaten. True to the expectation, they made mincemeat of their group opponents. They almost scored a double figure against South Korea in the first match beating the Asians 9-0 and then going on to trash the eventual champions West Germany 8-3.

The Brazilian team was not doing bad either, they only lost the 1950 World Cup on home soil to Uruguay in an unexpected way and really wanted to right the wrong. In their own right the Brazilians were also a formidable team. They set up the famous battle of Berne against Hungary by beating Mexico 5-0 and drawing Yugoslavia 1-1. In those days the winners of the group face each other while the runners up face each other so Brazil had to play Hungary in the quarter final in Berne on 27th June, 1954.


The match drew a lot of expectations from football fans who were expecting an end to end football from both sides, although the Hungarian still remained the favourites. By the third minute, the Hungarians justified their favourite status by taking the lead through Nandor Hidegkuti and Sandor Kocsis doubled the lead on the 7th minute. Brazil later pegged one back from the spot to end the half at 2-1.
The second half commenced with Brazil expecting to make a comeback while the Hungarians would fancy a chance to double the lead again. It was in the midst of this that the English referee Arthur Ellis awarded the Hungarian a penalty. The decision of the referee changed the face of the game altogether from the beauty we thought it would be to the beast it later became. The Brazilian journalists and officials invaded the field in protest and the match could only continue after the police had to force them off. Hungary converted the spot kick and the match from there turned emotional.

Both teams forgot total or free flowing football and started making cynical challenges aginst each other. It was one of such tackle that flew from Nilton Santos to Jozsef Bozsik. The latter did not take it lightly and both started exchanging blows. Ellis had no choice than to send both player of. This did not bring respite for both team but made the matter worse of. Kocsis scored his second, Brazil had another player sent off and the game ended 4-2 in favour of Hungary.

The game was reputable for having 42 free kicks, three red cards, two penalty kicks. Immediately the final whistle was sounded, Brazilian fans and photographers invaded the pitch and it took the intervention of the Police to clear the field. The Brazilian players and officials invaded the Hungarian dressing rooms and the fight continued. The Hungarian coach claimed he suffered wound because of the fighting in the tunnel that he needed four stitches on his face.


The referee of the match, Arthur Ellis was also disappointed at both teams like all soccer fans. He had these words to say:

“I thought it was going to be the greatest game I’d ever see. I was on top of the world. Whether Politics or religion had something to do with it I don’t know, but they behaved like animals. It was a disgrace. It was a horrible match. In today’s climate so many players would have been sent off, the game would have been abandoned. My only thought was that I was determined to finish it”

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