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THE FAILED CONSPIRACY


THE FAILED CONSPIRACY



As much as FIFA World Cup finals have unforgettable matches, the qualifiers sure have games that would leave your mouth open. A Selecao of Brazil is the only team in the World to participate in all 21 FIFA World Cup finals. There were times they were at the brink of missing out of the party but none can really be scary like the conspiracy that would have kept the Samba boys out of the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals in Italy.

Brazil was hosting Chile on the last day of the CONMEBOL Qualifiers for the Italia 1990 FIFA Wolrd Cup at the Maracana. A draw would take Brazil through and Chile could only make it by winning in Brazil. You would say that’s almost impossible? Yes, so I thought but the Chileans had another plan.

On the day, the whole stadium was filled, the Argentine referee, Juan Carlos Loustou commenced the match and it was tough between both sides but you know Brazil was the home team who only needs a draw to qualify. The first half ended goalless. 4 minutes into the second half, Careca scored for Brazil, thereby making it more difficult for the Chileans.

Exactly on the 67th minute, a 24 year old Brazilian fan, from the Brazilian end of the field, threw a flare on the pitch which supposedly hit the Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas. Rojas was lying on the ground with blood gushing from his head. The flare was still fizzing and pumping smoke and lying just inches from where Rojas was laying. Chile’s medical team rushed in to treat him and later carried off. The Chileans eventually refused all entreaties to continue as they abandoned the match in protest to ‘what was done to Rojas’.



Unfortunately, no TV camera in the stadium really caught the moment the flare flew over and supposedly hit the goalkeeper. Brazil and its football were embarrassed. It was a bad day for them. It was already looking like there can’t be any hope of reaching the world cup for them. the Brazil captain on the day, Ricardo Gomes had this to say

“I was terrorized, I thought immediately of losing the chance to go to the World cup. It was something really bad”

The funny part was that all the photographers sitting on the sidelines saw that the flare did not hit Rojas but the ground about a meter from him. They were terrified to see blood coming from his face. How would they prove that it was a hoax, when they had no evidence? Thank God, a certain photographer named Ricardo Alfieri took the shots and perfectly enough to prove it too. However, the obstacle was that photography those days were taken in analog and not digital, so would not be printed until later. The stadium dispersed with Chile thinking the hoax has been perfectly executed and Brazil mad at the fan that threw the flare.


Ricardo Alfieri was later put live on radio by the making of one of the photographers Paulo Teixeira, where he claimed he took the shots and that it was a hoax. When the photographs were processed, it showed clearly the flare had hit the ground and not Rojas. Brazil was saved the blushes. Rojas later confessed that he had cut himself with a razor blade hidden in one of his gloves to fake an attack by Brazilian fans. He also confessed that he hatched the conspiracy along with the Chilean coach Orlando Aravena and the team doctor to force a scandal so that the result would be nullified to either force a replay on neutral soil or get Brazil disqualified.


After thorough investigation, FIFA awarded Brazil a 2-0 technical victory, suspended Chile also for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and also banned Rojas for life (Ban was later lifted in 2000). The President of Chile’s Football Association, the team coach and the team doctor were all punished for their roles.

You would ask what happened to the fan (Rosenery Mello) who threw the flare and gave the opportunity for the conspiracy to work? She was identified and arrested but later released when the truth was found out.  She later became a celebrity and signing deals corporate organizations. She later died of cancer at 45.


What a conspiracy, what a plot and what a revelation.

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