Disgrace of Gijón
The Disgrace of Gijón is one of many names given in hindsight to the 1982 [FIFA World Cup] football match played at the El Molinón stadium in Gijón, Spain, on 25 June 1982, in which West Germany beat Austria 1–0. Both teams advanced to the next round while Algeria was eliminated by having the lowest goal difference mainly due to having played its last game a day earlier, unable to achieve the four goal victory margin that would’ve seen them through regardless of what happened in this match. In German, the match is known as Nichtangriffspakt von Gijón or Schande von Gijón, while in Algeria it is called فضيحة خيخون, and in French: le Match de la honte ; it has also been satirically referred to as the Anschluss.
The Algerian team had beaten two-time World Champions and reigning European Champions Germany 2–1 in the first round, then had lost to Austria 2–0, before beating Chile 3–2. As the last game of the first-round 1982 [FIFA World Cup Group 2|Group 2] was scheduled a day later, the two German-speaking teams had an advantage in knowing that a West German win by less than three goals would qualify both, while any other result would see either Austria or West Germany eliminated. After a German goal early in the game, the match remained competitive before the teams in the second half started to "defend" the 1–0 score as there was little benefit for each side in trying harder. Many spectators, mostly Algerians, were not happy about the perceived lack of effort, and accused the West German and Austrian teams of manipulation.
Despite widespread condemnation and a formal complaint lodged by Algeria – who were consequently eliminated – FIFA ruled that neither team had broken any rules.
Following this match, along with similar controversy regarding Argentina vs Peru in the previous World Cup alongside Northern Ireland vs Spain later on in the same tournament, FIFA subsequently revised the group system for future tournaments so that the final two games in each group would be played simultaneously. This change made it highly impractical for teams to engage in any form of match-fixing, since they would not know what result was required ahead of time.
Background
- Note: 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, first tie-breaker is goal difference.
As Algeria played that final match the day before West Germany met Austria, the two European teams knew what result they needed in order to qualify for the next round. Any West German win by one or two goals would see both West Germany and Austria qualify based on goal differential tiebreaker. A West German victory by four goals or more would see West Germany and Algeria qualify. A West German win by exactly three goals would send Austria and Algeria to the next tiebreaker, where Austria would need to score at least two goals in defeat to advance in this scenario. West Germany would not advance without a victory.
Match
Summary
After ten minutes of furious attack, West Germany succeeded in scoring through a goal by Horst Hrubesch after a cross from the left. After the goal was scored, the team in possession of the ball often passed between themselves in their own half until an opposition player came into the vicinity of the ball, then the ball was passed back to the goalkeeper. Isolated long balls were played into the opposition's half, with little consequence. There were few tackles, and both sets of players flamboyantly missed with apparently no attempt at accuracy whenever they shot on goal. The only Austrian player who seemed to make any effort at livening the game up was Walter Schachner, though he had little success, while one of the few serious attempts on net was made by Wolfgang Dremmler of West Germany.This performance was widely deplored by all observers. West German ARD commentator Eberhard Stanjek at one point refused to commentate on the game any longer. Austrian commentator Robert Seeger bemoaned the spectacle, and asked viewers to turn off their television sets. George Vecsey, a New York Times journalist, stated that the teams "seemed to work in concert", though added that proving such would be impossible. El Comercio, the local newspaper, printed the match report in its crime section.
Likewise, many spectators were not impressed and voiced their disgust with the players. Chants of "¡Fuera, fuera!", "¡Argelia, Argelia!", and "¡Que se besen, que se besen!" were shouted by the Spanish crowd, while angry Algerian supporters waved banknotes at the players. The match was criticized even by the West German and Austrian fans who had hoped for a hot rematch of the 1978 World Cup match, the so-called "Miracle of Córdoba", in which Austria had beaten West Germany; one West German fan burned the national flag in protest.
Aftermath
With West Germany's 1–0 victory, they joined Austria and Algeria with four points in three matches. The teams were separated by goal difference, with West Germany and Austria progressing to the next round of the tournament at the expense of Algeria. The match-fixing saw Austria give up their opportunity to be first in the group in exchange for a sure opportunity to advance. The bargaining positions of the two teams were affected by West Germany being in danger of elimination if they failed to win, but also being the better team. By coming second in the group, Austria's second-stage group was France and Northern Ireland. West Germany's opponents were hosts Spain and England who had previously beaten France. Also, for three of the starting players, an additional incentive to avoid aggressive play was that they had been previously booked in their respective teams' first two games. Under the rules then in force, an additional yellow card for any of them in the final group match would have resulted in them serving an automatic one-match ban to start the second round.After the match, the West German team went back to their hotel where they were met by furious spectators who threw eggs and other projectiles at them; the West Germans returned fire with water bombs. German and Austrian television commentators were so appalled at the match that they urged viewers on live television to stop watching the match and watch something else. The Algerian football officials lodged an official protest. In addition, the president of the Algerian Football Federation opined that referee Bob Valentine should have intervened and his failure to do so was worthy of complaint. However, FIFA considered that no rules were broken as a result of the match, and declined to take any action. Both teams denied any collusion during the match. West Germany manager Jupp Derwall defended his team from the criticism, pointing out that Uli Stielike and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were both unfit. The West Germans made it to the final, where they lost to Italy 3–1. Austria fell at the next group stage, to the benefit of eventual fourth-place finishers France.
As a result of the game, from the World Cup 1986 onward, the final pair of group matches in World Cups always start simultaneously.
Later journalists have taken another look at the match, wondering if claims of "non-aggression" are exaggerated. In The Irish Times, Rob Smyth wrote that "The 10 minutes after Hrubesch's goal would even be described as exhilarating in some cultures, with Wolfgang Dremmler forcing a fine save from Friedrich Koncilia and Paul Breitner missing two good chances. The game slows down towards half-time, principally because the hitherto dominant Germany start to play on the counterattack. Hrubesch would have had a clear shooting chance in the 57th minute had he not hopelessly miscontrolled Felix Magath’s expert chip. As late as the 77th minute, when the game was losing what edge it had, Bernd Krauss broke into the box and forced a desperate clearance from Hans-Peter Briegel. A goal then would have put West Germany out."
Almost all participants denied an outright agreement to fix the match. Austrian player Reinhold Hintermaier described the situation on the pitch as follows: "It somehow took on a life of its own - everyone just thought that they wanted to get ahead".
Similar cases in football
- 1982 World Cup - Spain vs Northern Ireland. On the same day as the Disgrace of Gijón during the 1982 FIFA World Cup, another match on drew quieter but notable scrutiny. In Valencia, Northern Ireland met hosts Spain in the final Group 5 fixture, with the standings creating a favourable scenario for both sides: a narrow Northern Ireland win would see both teams advance to the next round. Spain, level on points with Yugoslavia, risked elimination only if they lost by more than one goal. Two minutes into the second half, the Spanish goalkeeper Luis Arconada, widely regarded as one of Europe’s best, misjudged and spilled an easy, soft cross from the right straight to the feet of Gerry Armstrong, who drilled the ball into a poorly guarded net. The goal, stemming from an uncharacteristically soft handling error, silenced much of the home crowd. Following the opener, the match was played at a noticeably reduced tempo. Despite Northern Ireland being reduced to ten men after the dismissal of Mal Donaghy, Spain showed little real ambition to change the scoreline. Their approach became cautious and risk-averse, with few penetrative passes or committed runs, content to preserve the narrow defeat that still guaranteed qualification. Spain recognising that the single-goal deficit was enough to see them through, used the situation to see out the match without taking risks playing safe at the back happy to lose. The 1–0 scoreline sent Northern Ireland through as group winners and Spain through in second place, and this subdued, safety-first approach led some observers to draw parallels with the earlier controversy in Gijón and to renew calls for FIFA to adjust World Cup scheduling and formats to limit the potential for mutually beneficial results.
- Thailand 3–2 Indonesia, where an Indonesian defender deliberately scored an own goal so his team did not have to face the host Vietnam in the semi-finals of the 1998 Tiger Cup.
- AS Adema 149–0 SO l'Emyrne, where SO l'Emyrne players deliberately scored 149 own goals in protest of refereeing decisions that had gone against them in the previous match.
- Barbados 4–2 Grenada, where a Barbadian defender deliberately scored an own goal so his team could win by two goals in extra-time, according to an unconventional golden goal rule that FIFA had implemented.
- Coventry City 2–2 Bristol City, the final match for both sides in the 1977 English First Division. With five minutes remaining, players received news of a Sunderland defeat which meant a draw would save both Coventry and Bristol City from relegation. Both sides stopped attempting to score for the final five minutes.
- Peru 1-1 Colombia, also known as the Pact of Lima, played during the final matchday of CONMEBOL's qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After reaching the 1-1 scoreline and learning that Chile was losing 2–0 in Brazil, Peruvians and Colombians stopped attempting to score for the last fiteen minutes of the match. Colombia qualified directly, and Peru advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs, where they defeated New Zealand to qualify. Chile, who received a third goal by the Brazilians, were eliminated.
- The 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament match between Uzbekistan and Japan, which ended in a 0-2 result, drew controversy due to allegations of match manipulation. Both teams, led by Japanese coaches, appeared to benefit from the outcome: Japan avoided a potential playoff against Australia, a formidable opponent, while Uzbekistan maintained a chance for a playoff berth due to the low scoreline. Japan scored two goals within the first 15 minutes, after which both teams exhibited notably passive play for the remaining 75 minutes, with no shots attempted by either side. This result effectively eliminated China from contention. Japan subsequently qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics by defeating North Korea in a playoff match.