India's barefoot footballers, and other World Cup stories | #131
Also, how Czech folklore inspired Rockstar 🤘🏽🌟
Hello friends
The calendar’s biggest sporting spectacle is finally here. It’s sure to give us a kick and keep us glued to our posts while Messing up our sleep schedules. Keep your fingers Kroosed, Neymar mind who you support.
Starting tomorrow, 32 nations take part in the middle of a desert to determine the best footballing nation in the world. Back in 2010, the great footballing superpower Qatar was awarded World Cup hosting rights. This decision was controversial to say the least, so this week we look at some incredible stories from the previous World Cups in this week’s newsletter.
Oh and which nation are we supporting you ask? Well India did try and qualify for the World cup, but unfortunately its progress in football has stalled - aap Qatar mein hain, as they say.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
India qualified for the 1950 World Cup, albeit thanks to multiple withdrawals from other teams unwilling to travel to Brazil. But why did we not go? There has been a myth that India was uncomfortable playing without shoes, which was against the rules.. To which we say ‘My Barefoot’. Back then, it wasn’t against the rules to play barefoot and by 1950 many Indians had also gotten adjusted to playing with shoes. It wasn’t the lack of funds as 3 state football associations managed to secure the required funds to send a team. It turns out it was just lazy babudom and the lackadaisical attitude of AIFF officials. They kept procrastinating and in the end, they declined with less than 2 weeks to go. This was a soccer punch to the gut of Indian football.
Argentina were selected as the hosts of the 1978 Football world cup. In 1973, Juan Perón came to power and the logo for the World Cup was unveiled in 1974. The logo was based on President Juan Perón's signature gesture: a salute to the crowd with both arms extended above his head. When the military dictatorship took over in 1976, they tried to get the logo changed. But were unable to do so so close to the event. The logo is trying to tell something - Logo ka kaam hai kehna.
World Cup kits these days are highly regulated, with top designers designing them and infusing them with meaning. But things weren’t like this in 1986. Argentina played Uruguay in the round of 16 in their usual kit, wearing cotton jerseys, but coach Carlos Bilardo thought they might affect his players’ performance if worn on a scorching afternoon in Mexico City, where the quarter final against England was to take place. He sent an assistant, Ruben Moschella to the local market to search for shirts and he couldn’t choose between two designs. Maradona was the decision-maker who chose the shirt and then said we will beat England in that. Moschella went back to the shop and bought enough jerseys to outfit the team. A designer created makeshift Argentinian Football Association patches to sew on, and the team ironed the players’ numbers onto the backs of the shirts. And in that last minute shirt, Diego Maradona scored 2 iconic goals - here and here.
From IWTK, with love 💌
Manchester once ran out of Cilantro. All thanks to one remarkable Indian woman. Hum Dhaniya Ho Gaye.
The Ranbir Kapoor film ‘Rockstar’ turned 11. Here’s how a Czech folklore inspired a song in the film.
We are also on LinkedIn. You can browse our content “while working” now.
IWTK Recommends 🌟
Before the 2014 World Cup, John Oliver took on FIFA and compared it to an organised religion which has an infallible leader then (Sepp Blatter), forces bankrupt South American Countries to build expensive cathedrals and will probably be responsible for the death of people in the Middle East. Prophetic.
He followed up with another feature on the indictment of some FIFA officials, who were caught by the FBI.
Share this newsletter on WhatsApp
Stay hydrated,
❤️ IWTK