The Disgrace of Gijon

The disgrace of Gijon is a historic event in the history of Football World Cups. There are still multiple teams competing for a spot in the Round of 16. The FIFA World Cup 2022 group stage matches are near their conclusion. The group stage matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022 are nearing their conclusion to find out the best 16. There are still teams trying to qualify for the Round of 16. The same group’s matches will no longer be played at different times starting on November 29. However, FIFA decided in response to an unfortunate event that happened in 1982. 

After 1982, FIFA decided to alter the timing of the last 2 games of each group. The “Disgrace of Gijon” incident occurred on June 25, 1982. It happened during West Germany vs Austria game at the El Molinon stadium in Spain. The first African team to win two games at a World Cup was Algeria. It was obvious how both European teams would qualify. This is because Algeria was playing its last game prior to Germany vs Austria.  West Germany would have advanced to the next round along with Algeria had they won by three goals or more. Austria’s win or even a draw would have had Algeria advancing to the next round. Germany would have advanced to the next round alongside Austria with their one or two goals.

After taking the lead in the first 10 minutes of West Germany vs Austria match. West Germany prevailed by a lone goal. After the first goal, the game’s pace slowed down and neither team put in a lot of effort. West Germany, Austria, and Algeria all finished with four points after the final game. However, the Germans and the Austrians advanced because of goal differential. Austria had a goal difference of +2, West Germany of +3, and Algeria of 0 for the game.

Years after this match, a german player admitted to the fact that the officials have fixed the match. This caused a major stir in the FIFA administration. FIFA decided that they will conduct the final 2 games of each group stage on the same day. This incident is known as the disgrace of Gijon in football history.

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