Related: World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No23: The 1966 World CupIt might have helped if the organisers had the media on their side. “When I first came back to Brazil after the World Cup games of 1966, my heart wasn’t in playing football,” Pelé later said. “Having lost his reputation as a result of his team’s debacle in the World Cup, and in danger of losing his job, he has been looking for a scapegoat. “Sportswriters in the Italian press were universally critical of the organisation of the World Cup, and in particular of the choice and performance of the referees,” came the reply. In March 1966 the British ambassador to Brazil, Leslie Fry, started a correspondence with the Foreign Office about the problem.

Source: The Guardian July 24, 2016 09:00 UTC