The Hindu : Controversies: Battle of Bordeaux

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 12, 2002

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Controversies: Battle of Bordeaux

There had been violent skirmishes before, even police on the pitch, but here was the first World Cup war when Brazil clashed with Czechoslovakia in the 1938 quarterfinals in what is commonly referred to as the `Battle of Bordeaux'. For a fledgling tournament, it was by no means a good advertisement and to the game as such it still remains a permanent scar.

It was by an unhappy chance that the new stadium in Bordeaux was to be inaugurated on June 12, 1938 with the quarterfinal match between Brazil, joint favourites with Italy for the title, and Czechoslovakia, which had made the grade in contrasting styles. The Poles who had been conquered 6-5 after an epic battle which saw hat-tricks (four goals each, in fact) by eventual top-scorer Leonidas da Silva and Ernest Willimowski had sportingly sent the Brazilians a good luck telegram before their quarterfinal.

But once into the field against the Czechs, the Brazilians showed no such gesture and are blamed for one of the greatest disgraces of the World Cup. The Czechs too had been forced to go the full distance including extra-time before prevailing over Holland 3-2 in the first round. With the two sides boasting several stars that by then were the toast of football fans, the world over, the tie between the two was thus keenly awaited.

It all started even before the first quarter hour was out when Zeze Procopio violently kicked the celebrated Oldrich Nejedly and rightly got expelled for it. Unfortunately, it was only the beginning. Thirty minutes later, just before the interval, two other expulsions followed as Arthur Machado of Brazil and Jan Riha of Czechoslovakia were caught in a brawl by the Hungarian referee, Paul van Hertzka.

In between, Brazil had leapt into the lead through Leonidas (see picture), from what had looked to be an offside position and who later was considerably slowed down by repeated assaults on him by the rival defence. Rough play continued through to the second-half as well and Hertzka had a tough time in reining in the players of either side in what was increasingly becoming a free-for-all.The Czechs finally got their equaliser when Nejedly scored off a penalty awarded after Domingo da Guia had handled the ball well within the Brazilian penalty box. However, Nejedly had to soon withdraw with a broken leg and skipper and goalkeeper Frantisek Planicka too followed suit moments later with a broken arm to leave the rest of their team-mates reeling under the repeated Brazilian onslaughts.

Yet, the depleted Czech side held out against the nine men of Brazil through the remaining minutes and extra-time as the game went into replay.

Besides Nejedly and Planicka, Antonio Puc too was unfit for the replay forcing the Czechs to make as many as six changes against the Brazilians, who made nine changes from their earlier match that had left football a clear loser on what remains a black day in the history of the game.

Mercifully, the replay was a far less passionate meeting as the Brazilians came through 2-1. It was the Czechs who went ahead this time through Vlasta Kopecky, who, however, had to leave the field through injury soon thereafter.

The Brazilian fightback in the second-half was decisive as the inevitable Leonidas equalised 12 minutes after the restart and Roberto da Cunha volleyed in the winner five minutes later. But the Czechs could feel hard done by a shot by Karel Senecky — just before the match-winner — certainly appeared to cross the line before Walter de Souza scooped it away A. Vinod.

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