The Battle of Santiago, 2 June 1962.
By Conor Hogan
In 1960, Chile was heavily effected by the Valdivia Earthquake, the largest one ever in recorded human history (9.5 on the Richter scale). The Chilean authorities worked exceptionally hard to make sure that the World Cup wouldn’t be taken away from them, and the tournament became a matter of national pride, binding together a shattered country.
On the eve of the championship, two Italian journalists, Antonio Ghirelli and Corrado Pizzinelli, made derogatory comments about the condition of Santiago (as well the looks and morals of Chilean women) which caused outrage when quoted in a Chilean newspaper. An Argentinian reporter was beaten up in a bar after being mistaken for an Italian, and the two Italian journalists had to be rushed out of the country after receiving death threaths.
Despite this, nobody could have predicted that the match between the two nations was going to be so bad tempered. The first foul occurred after less than 30 seconds. The first sending off occured when Giorgio Ferrini took a swipe at Honorino Honda.
The game was then delayed for eight minues as Ferrini refused to leave the pitch, eventually the Chilean Army had to escort him off. In the 41st minute Italy’s Mario David was sent of for repeatedly kicking Leonel Sanchez on the ground. Sanchez then got up and punched David in the face, and incredibly wasn’t sent off himself.
The match descended into complete and utter chaos. There was kicking, and wrestling, and punching (Sanchez broke Humberto Maschio’s nose) but hardly any football. Referee Ken Aston had a terrible game, and completely lost control of the situation. Instead of two, he should probably have sent off eight or nine players (and as such abandon the game) while most of his decisions seemed to favour the home side.
In the end Chile won 2-0, but it hardly seemed to matter. Commentator David Coleman described it as “the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game.”
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