1934 FIFA World Cup

1934 FIFA World Cup
World's Cup[1]
Campionato Mondiale di Calcio

1934 FIFA World Cup official logo
Tournament details
Host country  Italy
Dates 27 May – 10 June
Teams 16 (from 4 confederations)
Venue(s) 8 (in 8 host cities)
Final positions
Champions  Italy (1st title)
Runner-up  Czechoslovakia
Third place  Germany
Fourth place  Austria
Tournament statistics
Matches played 17
Goals scored 70 (4.12 per match)
Attendance 358,000 (21,059 per match)
Top scorer(s) Czechoslovakia Oldřich Nejedlý (5 goals)
← 1930
1938 →

The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934. The international football federation, FIFA, selected Italy as host nation at its Stockholm congress of October 1932.

The 1934 World Cup was the first for which teams had to qualify to take part. Thirty-two nations entered the competition, and after qualification, 16 teams participated in the finals tournament. Italy became the second World Cup champions, beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 in the final.

Contents

Qualification and participants

Qualifying countries

After a lengthy decision-making process in which FIFA's executive committee met eight times,[2] Italy was chosen as the host nation at a meeting in Stockholm on 9 October 1932.[3] The decision was taken by the executive committee without a ballot of members.[3] The Italian bid was chosen in preference to one from Sweden;[4] the Italian government assigned a budget of 3.5 million lire to the tournament.[5] 32 countries applied to enter the tournament, so qualifying matches were required to thin the field to 16.[3] Even so, there were several notable absentees. Reigning World Cup holders Uruguay declined to participate, in protest at the refusal of several European countries to travel to South America for the previous World Cup, which Uruguay hosted in 1930.[6] As a result, the 1934 World Cup is the only one in which the reigning champions did not participate.[7] The Home Nations, in a period of self-imposed exile from FIFA, also refused to participate. Football Association committee member Charles Sutcliffe's view was typical of British attitudes: "the national associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have quite enough to do in their own International Championship which seems to me a far better World Championship than the one to be staged in Rome".[8]

Despite their role as hosts, Italy were still required to qualify, the first and only time the host nation was not granted automatic qualification.[3] The qualifying matches were arranged on a geographical basis. Withdrawals by Chile and Peru meant Argentina and Brazil qualified without playing a single match.[9]

Only ten of the 32 entrants, and four of the 16 qualified teams (Brazil, Argentina, United States and Egypt, the first African team to qualify for a World Cup finals tournament), were from outside Europe. The last place in the finals was contested between the United States and Mexico only three days before the start of the tournament in a one-off match in Rome, which the United States won.[10]

The majority of the 16 teams were making their first World Cup appearance. These included nine of the twelve European teams (Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Austria, and Switzerland) together with Egypt. Egypt would not qualify for another World Cup finals until the next time the competition was held in Italy, in 1990.

Italy as hosts

1934 FIFA World Cup is located in Italy
Bologna
Florence
Genoa
Milan
Naples
Rome
Trieste
Turin
A map showing the locations of the venues used at the 1934 FIFA World Cup

Like the Berlin Olympics two years later, the 1934 World Cup was a high-profile instance of a sporting event being used for overt political gain. Benito Mussolini was keen to use the tournament as a means of promoting fascism.

The number of supporters travelling from other countries was higher than at any previous football tournament, including 7,000 from the Netherlands and 10,000 each from Austria and Switzerland.[11]

Eight cities hosted the tournament:

Summary

The group stage used in the first World Cup was discarded in favour of a straight knockout tournament. All eight first round matches kicked off at the same time.[12] Hosts and favourites Italy won handsomely, defeating the USA 7–1; the New York Times correspondent wrote that "only the fine goal-tending of Julius Hjulian of Chicago kept the score as low as it was".[13]

Internal disputes meant Argentina's squad for the tournament did not contain a single member of the team which reached the final in 1930.[14] Against Sweden in Bologna, Argentina twice took the lead, but two goals by Sven Jonasson and a winner by Knut Kroon gave Sweden a 3–2 victory.[15] Fellow South Americans Brazil also suffered an early exit. Spain beat them comfortably; 3–1 the final score.[16]

For the only time in World Cup history, eight European teams—Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland—advanced to the quarter-finals.

In the quarter-finals, the first replayed match in World Cup history took place, when Italy and Spain drew 1-1 after extra time. The match was played in a highly aggressive manner. Rough play injured the Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora in the first match, leaving him unable to participate in the replay.[17] Italy won the replay 1-0, their play so physical that at least three Spaniards had to depart the field with injuries.[18] Italy then went on to beat Austria in the semifinals by the same score. Meanwhile, Czechoslovakia secured their place in the final by beating Germany 3-1.

The Stadium of the National Fascist Party was the venue for the final. With 80 minutes played, the Czechoslovakians were ahead 1-0. The Italians managed to score before the final whistle, and then added another goal in extra time to be crowned World Cup Winners.

Italy's total of three goals conceded in five matches was a record low for a world champion. It was matched by England in 1966 (who played six matches) and Brazil in 1994 (who played seven), but was not surpassed until 1998 when France won the World Cup conceding only two goals over seven games.

Results

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                           
27 May – Rome            
  Italy  7
31 May – Florence
(replayed 1 June)
  United States  1  
  Italy  1 (1)
27 May – Genoa
    Spain  1 (0)  
  Spain  3
3 June – Milan
  Brazil  1  
  Italy  1
27 May – Turin
    Austria  0  
  Austria (a.e.t.)  3
31 May – Bologna
  France  2  
  Austria  2
27 May – Naples
    Hungary  1  
  Hungary  4
10 June – Rome
  Egypt  2  
  Italy (a.e.t.)  2
27 May – Trieste
    Czechoslovakia  1
  Czechoslovakia  2
31 May – Turin
  Romania  1  
  Czechoslovakia  3
27 May – Milan
    Switzerland  2  
  Netherlands  2
3 June – Rome
  Switzerland  3  
  Czechoslovakia  3
27 May – Florence
    Germany  1   Third place
  Germany  5
31 May – Milan 7 June – Naples
  Belgium  2  
  Germany  2   Germany  3
27 May – Bologna
    Sweden  1     Austria  2
  Sweden  3
  Argentina  2  

First round

27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Spain  3 – 1  Brazil Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Attendance: ~25,000
Referee: Alfred Birlem (Germany)
Iraragorri Goal 18' (pen.), 25'[19]
Lángara Goal 29'		 Report Leônidas Goal 55'
27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Hungary  4 – 2  Egypt Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli, Naples
Attendance: ~12,000
Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (Italy)
Teleki Goal 11'
Toldi Goal 27', 61'
Vincze Goal 53'		 Report Fawzi Goal 31', 39'
27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Switzerland  3 – 2  Netherlands Stadio San Siro, Milan
Attendance: ~40,000
Referee: Ivan Eklind (Sweden)
Kielholz Goal 7', 43'[20]
Abegglen Goal 69'		 Report Smit Goal 19'
Vente Goal 84'
27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Italy  7 – 1  United States Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome
Attendance: ~13,000
Referee: Rene Mercet (Switzerland)
Schiavio Goal 18', 29', 64'
Orsi Goal 20', 69'
Ferrari Goal 63'
Meazza Goal 90'[21]		 Report Donelli Goal 57'
27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Czechoslovakia  2 – 1  Romania Stadio Littorio, Trieste
Attendance: ~8,000
Referee: John Langenus (Belgium)
Puč Goal 50'
Nejedlý Goal 67'		 Report Dobay Goal 11'
27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Sweden  3 – 2  Argentina Stadio Littoriale, Bologna
Attendance: ~15,000
Referee: Eugen Braun (Austria)
Jonasson Goal 9', 67'
Kroon Goal 79'		 Report Belis Goal 4'
Galateo Goal 48'[22]
27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Austria  3 – 2 (a.e.t.)  France Stadio Benito Mussolini, Turin
Attendance: ~20,000
Referee: Johannes van Moorsel (Netherlands)
Sindelar Goal 44'
Schall Goal 93'
Bican Goal 109'		 Report Nicolas Goal 18'
Verriest Goal 116' (pen.)[23]
27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Germany  5 – 2  Belgium Stadio Giovanni Berta, Florence
Attendance: ~8,000
Referee: Francesco Mattea (Italy)
Kobierski Goal 25'
Siffling Goal 49'
Conen Goal 66', 70', 87'		 Report Voorhoof Goal 29', 43'

Quarter-finals

31 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Austria  2 – 1  Hungary Stadio Littoriale, Bologna
Attendance: ~25,000
Referee: Francesco Mattea (Italy)
Horvath Goal 8'
Zischek Goal 51'		 Report Sárosi Goal 60' (pen.)
31 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Italy  1 – 1 (a.e.t.)  Spain Stadio Giovanni Berta, Florence
Attendance: ~35,000
Referee: Louis Baert (Belgium)
Ferrari Goal 44' Report Regueiro Goal 30'
Replay
1 June 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Italy  1 – 0  Spain Stadio Giovanni Berta, Florence
Attendance: ~45,000
Referee: Rene Mercet (Switzerland)
Meazza Goal 11' Report
31 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Germany  2 – 1  Sweden Stadio San Siro, Milan
Attendance: ~15,000
Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (Italy)
Hohmann Goal 60', 63' Report Dunker Goal 82'
31 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Czechoslovakia  3 – 2  Switzerland Stadio Benito Mussolini, Turin
Attendance: ~12,000
Referee: Alois Beranek (Austria)
Svoboda Goal 24'
Sobotka Goal 49'
Nejedlý Goal 82'		 Report Kielholz Goal 18'
Jäggi Goal 78'

Semi-finals

3 June 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Italy  1 – 0  Austria Stadio San Siro, Milan
Attendance: ~60,000
Referee: Ivan Eklind (Sweden)
Guaita Goal 19' Report
3 June 1934
16:30 (CEST)
 Czechoslovakia  3 – 1  Germany Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome
Attendance: ~10,000
Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (Italy)
Nejedlý Goal 19', 71', 80'[24][25][26] Report Noack Goal 62'[27]

Third-place match

7 June 1934
18:00 (CEST)
 Germany  3 – 2  Austria Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli, Naples
Attendance: ~8,000
Referee: Albino Carraro (Italy)
Lehner Goal 1', 42'[28]
Conen Goal 27'[20]		 Report Horvath Goal 28'[29]
Sesta Goal 54'[30]

Final

10 June 1934
17:30 (CEST)
 Italy  2 – 1 (a.e.t.)  Czechoslovakia Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome
Attendance: ~45,000
Referee: Ivan Eklind (Sweden)
Orsi Goal 81'
Schiavio Goal 95'		 Report Puč Goal 76'[31]

Scorers

5 goals
  • Czechoslovakia Oldřich Nejedlý
4 goals
  • Germany Edmund Conen
  • Italy Angelo Schiavio
3 goals
  • Italy Raimundo Orsi
  • Switzerland Leopold Kielholz
2 goals
  • Austria Johann Horvath
  • Belgium Bernard Voorhoof
  • Czechoslovakia Antonín Puč
  • Egypt Abdelrahman Fawzi
  • Germany Karl Hohmann
  • Germany Ernst Lehner
  • Hungary Géza Toldi
  • Italy Giovanni Ferrari
  • Italy Giuseppe Meazza
  • Spain José Iraragorri
  • Sweden Sven Jonasson
1 goal
  • Argentina Ernesto Belis
  • Argentina Alberto Galateo
  • Austria Josef Bican
  • Austria Toni Schall
  • Austria Karl Sesta
  • Austria Matthias Sindelar
  • Austria Karl Zischek
  • Brazil Leônidas
  • Czechoslovakia Jiří Sobotka
  • Czechoslovakia František Svoboda
  • France Jean Nicolas
  • France Georges Verriest
  • Germany Stanislaus Kobierski
  • Germany Rudolf Noack
  • Germany Otto Siffling
  • Hungary György Sárosi
  • Hungary Pál Teleki
  • Hungary Jenő Vincze
  • Italy Enrique Guaita
  • Netherlands Kick Smit
1 goal (cont.)
  • Netherlands Leen Vente
  • Romania Ştefan Dobay
  • Spain Isidro Lángara
  • Spain Luis Regueiro
  • Sweden Gösta Dunker
  • Sweden Knut Kroon
  • Switzerland André Abegglen
  • Switzerland Willy Jäggi
  • United States Aldo Donelli

FIFA Retrospective Ranking

In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition.[32]. The rankings for the 1934 tournament were as follows:

Final

  1.  Italy
  2.  Czechoslovakia

3rd and 4th place

  1.  Germany
  2.  Austria

Eliminated in the quarter-finals

  1.  Spain
  2.  Hungary
  3.  Switzerland
  4.  Sweden

Eliminated in the round of 16

  1.  France,  Argentina,  Netherlands
  2.  Romania
  3.  Egypt
  4.  Brazil
  5.  Belgium
  6.  United States

References

  1. ↑ FIFA book of statutes, Roma 1934, prtd. Gebr. Fey & Kratz, Zürich, FIFA internal libray no. C br. 18, 1955
  2. ↑ Freddi, Complete Book of the World Cup 2006, p. 15
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Hunt, World Cup Stories, p. 23
  4. ↑ "History of FIFA - The first FIFA World Cup". FIFA. http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/historyfifa4.html. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
  5. ↑ Goldblatt, The Ball is Round, p. 255
  6. ↑ Crouch, The World Cup: The Complete History, p. 16
  7. ↑ Glanville, The Story of the World Cup, p. 25
  8. ↑ Taylor, The Leaguers, p. 217.
  9. ↑ Crouch, The World Cup: The Complete History, p. 14
  10. ↑ "World Cup 1934". ESPN. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/feature?id=696758&cc=5739&ver=global. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  11. ↑ Murray & Murray, The World's Game, p69
  12. ↑ Hunt, World Cup Stories. p. 26.
  13. ↑ Wangerin, Soccer in a Football World, p. 98
  14. ↑ Glanville, The Story of the World Cup, p. 26.
  15. ↑ Freddi, Complete Book of the World Cup 2006, p. 20
  16. ↑ Hunt, World Cup Stories. p. 27.
  17. ↑ Baker, Sports in the Western World, p248
  18. ↑ Wilson, Inverting the Pyramid, p71
  19. ↑ RSSSF credits the goal in the 25th minute to Isidro Lángara.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 RSSSF credits this goal as occurring in the 29th minute.
  21. ↑ RSSSF credits this goal as occurring in the 89th minute.
  22. ↑ RSSSF credits this goal as occurring in the 46th minute.
  23. ↑ RSSSF credits this penalty as occurring in the 118th minute.
  24. ↑ RSSSF credits the 19th minute goal as occurring in the 21st minute.
  25. ↑ FIFA initially credits the 71st minute goal to Rudolf Krčil, but changed it to Nejedlý in 2006 [1]. RSSSF credits this goal as occurring in the 69th minute.
  26. ↑ RSSSF credits the 80th minute goal as occurring in the 81st minute.
  27. ↑ RSSSF credits this goal as occurring in the 59th minute.
  28. ↑ RSSSF credits the 1st minute goal as occurring in the 4th minute
  29. ↑ RSSSF credits this goal as occurring in the 30th minute.
  30. ↑ RSSSF credits this goal as occurring in the 55th minute.
  31. ↑ RSSSF credits this goal as occurring in the 71st minute.
  32. ↑ http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdeveloping/technicaldevp/50/09/00/fwc_mexico_1986_en_part4_279.pdf page 45

Bibliography

External links

1934 FIFA World Cup finalists
Champions
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