From the publisher:
The shocking story of the most controversial football World Cup of all time.
When Argentina both hosted and won the World Cup in 1978, just two years after the coup d'etat that ousted Isabel Perón, it was against the backdrop of a brutal military dictatorship in the country. Under the leadership of General Jorge Videla, up to 30,000 citizens, categorised as subversives, 'disappeared'.
This definitive account of Argentina 1978 chronicles:
- Argentina's first World Cup triumph, staged during the nation’s darkest days
- The military government's control of the tournament – how they galvanised their efforts to root out their enemies and unite a deeply divided country
- The international campaign to boycott the World Cup and expose Argentina’s human rights atrocities
- The most infamous game in World Cup history – Argentina's defeat of Peru in Rosario, which was dogged by allegations of corruption, intimidation and bribery
- The return of Rosario's prodigal son, Mario Kempes, from international exile to claim the World Cup golden boot
- The nearly men of the Netherlands making their second consecutive World Cup final, while their talismanic captain, Johan Cruyff, watched from home
Dogged by allegations of bribery, coercion and an historic failed drugs test, this is the story of Argentina's maiden World Cup triumph and the controversy that simmered behind it.
The author:
Rhys Richards is a writer and English teacher from Pen y Graig in the Rhondda Valleys. He has been published in The Guardian and has written for These Football Times, The Football Pink and The Football History Boys, primarily focussing on football's role in Latin American history..
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