"Narrated by Terence Stamp" "Ged O'Brien Historian, Scotland" "Jean-Philippe Rethacker Journalist, France The English were in "their" island, already the best," "already ahead of everybody by 50 years." "Their game was already very popular, and at this time their players were exceptional," "So the English, on their island, did not want to mix with the European continent." "There was a huge argument amongst members of the Italian Football Federation, and all of them resigned," "The team was going to the Games anyway," "Alberto Pozzo Vittorio Pozzo's son so a week before they began, they asked my father to lead the team, not because he was a football expert, but because he could speak several languages." "22 players had been called up, but only 15 accepted." "He loved that way of playing." "It was powerful, vigorous - but not violent." "To him, football - he had learnt it in England - was a moral game, because it allows players to be strong, but not to be violent and dishonest." "In Budejovice, in a pub." "Frantiscek Steiner Historian." "Czech Republic when Sparta or Slavia lost the local derby match, the team that won used to bring a coffin with a candle, and a note simply saying" ""Died of old age" " AC Sparta, or SK Slavia."" "From time to time the funeral was even attended by a priest to make it even... let's say, more official, so that it looked like a real funeral." "It was the only big international competition for clubs in Europe," "I would like to emphasise once again that it was a combination of today's Champions League and UEFA Cup." "Every country was represented by three or four clubs." "Italy, Austria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Switzerland - all played regularly." "Pepi Bican Austrian International England, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Hungary were, in my opinion, the best teams of that era." "Not even Sweden and others could match those four." "The two captains, the Hungarian Sarosi and the Austrian Nausch, greet each other." "We were great when we dominated the seas." "Rome won't be able to rebuild its empire until we destroy Carthage once again!" "Fascism "invested" in sport," ""invested" in physical activities," "Fino Fini Historian, Italy invested in the creation of stronger men." "Football symbolised war, or it represented the possibility of getting involved in more "important" activities." "Pozzo exploited Mussolini, because fascism helped build up national feeling." "But my father was a patriot, rather than a nationalist." "There is a difference." "Nationalists consider others as enemies, whereas patriots support their own country, but accept the fact that others have the same rights as they have." "He took the small fragment, wrapped it up in some cotton wool, and put it in his pocket." "He brought the cup back to Italy, but nobody noticed the accident at first." "In his book he later admitted that he considered the fragment as a good-Iuck charm." "He said "Not for nothing." "it brought me good luck."" ""I needed to believe in something."" ""It followed me to the 1934 World Cup, the 1936 Olympics, and the 1938 World Cup."" "Mussolini made sure the 1934 World Cup would take place in Italy, not because he wanted to win it, but because he wanted to show that Italy was capable of organising a World Cup." "Hugo Meisl, our manager, informed us through his spy network" "that Mussolini himself invited the Swedish referee to take charge of the match." "He said "Be careful", and we were." "The referee swindled us so much." "I remember one moment." "For their goal." "they pushed our goalkeeper from three metres out into the goal." "The referee gave it as an own goal!" "Our players were greeted not as the losers, but as the moral world champions." "It was clear that the Swedish referee in the final damaged our chances." "Tom Watt Author, England" "Germany has two great tasks to carry out." "To appear as a good host in 1936 to all the nations which will come to the Olympics, and to perform well in the Games." "In terms of sport and organisation, we are looking towards a wonderful national challenge." "It was a cold atmosphere," "Pietro Rava Italian International but no one shouted at us," "or caused us any problems." "It was like being in the army, it was all military." "Hitler was always there." "He saluted this way." "We saluted this way, but he saluted us with his arm straight." "Germans are hard people." "The strategy was very simple - not to have the ball for too long, and not to dribble too much." "because it would slow the game." "Instead we went for long passes towards the opposition penalty area." "With fast strikers, there was a better chance of scoring." "They gave me a huge salary - three times what I was earning in Vienna." "In Vienna, I had a large salary already, but in those days the Czech koruna was very valuable." "He wanted to know about their private lives." ""If I'm sending a player onto the pitch who is arguing with his wife," "I want to know, because if he is not mentally right, I won't let him play."" ""Those who have family problems must tell me." "I want to read your mail, just like during the war" - when censorship applied." "The players had to accept." "Thanks to this method, he was known as the "Healer"." "He created a very united group, where all the players were friends with one another." "There were some players who never played for the national team because they had done something wrong - maybe he'd heard that there was something wrong, or that they'd been caught with a woman in the hotel or something." "We were a bit like prisoners." "Those were the days." "We saw some really moving scenes." "We saw these Italians that at the beginning were insulting us." "You could tell they had been organised by the French Communist Party to cause us problems, disrupt some games, in order to damage us." "The Italians, some of them were crying because we had won the World Cup, whereas before they had been insulting us, even when we were just walking in the streets." "Sir Tom Finney English International" "Sir Walter Winterbottom Former England Coach" "Every so often we did some military training." "Gyula Grosics Hungarian International I remember once we were taken to the shooting range." "None of us had been there and we had to do target practice with various guns." "Very soon they asked us to stop because we were putting our immediate surroundings in danger!" "Politics mingles with sport in every country of the world." "Jenö Buzànszki Hungarian International Whatever the political system, the government represents the country." "That's why it's in the government's interest to take sport to a level that will help their cause." "The "state of the people" built the home of our beautiful Hungarian sport - the Nepstadion - within five years." "The highlight of the opening ceremony of the Nepstadion is the match between Honved and Spartak Moscow." "The captains of the two teams." "Ferenc Puskas and Simonian, and the two coaches, Sokolov and Jeno Kalmar, exchange flowers." "The relationship was one-sided." "We weren't as enthusiastic about the political situation as the politicians were about the sports results." "Nandor Hidegkuti Hungarian International I think it had more to do with English propaganda." "They were saying that the world's two best teams would be playing each other." "They raised us, the Hungarians, up to their level." "The newly crowned German football champions, VFB Stuttgart." "Over 200,000 enthusiasts were there to greet and celebrate their champions." "Herbert Burdenski West German International I played against Switzerland." "It took place in Stuttgart, in front of 103,000 spectators." "We were proud and happy that they had invited us, that Switzerland had given us the opportunity." "When the English referee Ellis blows the whistle to kick off the game, the players are still slightly nervous, but shortly after, the German team goes full steam ahead." "And now the crucial moment in the game." "Under enormous pressure, a Swiss player handles the ball." "Penalty!" "A great shot, and a goal!" "Ottmar Walter West German International Herberger was a sly fox." "He always knew which lever to pull." "He welded the team together with a few words, so that there was no doubt that everyone was there for each other, and everyone would do their utmost." "Then there was our "third" goal, scored by Puskas." "a couple of minutes before the end of the game." "Everyone swears it wasn't offside except for the referee." "At first he allowed the goal, but then for some reason he whistled again and gave a free kick to Germany because of offside." "And the goal was disallowed." "There was no debate." "The Hungarians accepted it without discussion." "They admitted it afterwards, that Puskas was standing three metres offside." "There was no discussion." "Well, the whole world suddenly overnight knew again where Germany was." "Before that, what happened about us was a bit marginalised." "But when we became world champions in 1954, it was known again where Germany was." "Instead of talking about a great victory, we had to answer for our failure, and that's impossible." "Victory doesn't need to be explained, defeat cannot be."