[DC 86]

It's pretty unprecedented. Politics has impacted World Cups before. This degree of corruption of the actual on field game, maybe the Argentinian junta in 78 leaning on refs.

They didn't just lean on refs. Argentina needed to beat Peru by four goals in the last group stage game to advance to the final, otherwise Brazil (by virtue of better goal difference) would have played the Netherlands for the title. The government released $50 mm in frozen Peruvian assets and shipped 35,000 tons of grain to Peru prior to the match. Final score: 6-0. Argentina then beat the Netherlands 3 -1 for their first World Cup championship.

Argentina's dictator (accompanied by Henry Kissinger) even paid a visit to the Peruvian locker room just prior to kickoff and read them a letter from Peru's president, just to make sure they understood their job.

[DC 86]

It's pretty unprecedented. Politics has impacted World Cups before. This degree of corruption of the actual on field game, maybe the Argentinian junta in 78 leaning on refs.

They didn't just lean on refs. Argentina needed to beat Peru by four goals in the last group stage game to advance to the final, otherwise Brazil (by virtue of better goal difference) would have played the Netherlands for the title. The government released $50 mm in frozen Peruvian assets and shipped 35,000 tons of grain to Peru prior to the match. Final score: 6-0. Argentina then beat the Netherlands 3 -1 for their first World Cup championship.

Argentina's dictator (accompanied by Henry Kissinger) even paid a visit to the Peruvian locker room just prior to kickoff and read them a letter from Peru's president, just to make sure they understood their job.