Some people say that the twentieth century is the most brilliant, tortuous, and emotional era in human history. The same is true of the world of football, which from the 1930 World Cup onwards has entered every part of the world, illuminating dark corners, conveying love and bravery, as well as touching stories of blood, victory, and honor.
To this day, many people still dismissive, thinking that the era without the Internet, no mobile phones, and no short videos is too boring and tedious. Is this really the case? Now take the time back 92 years and see what kind of story the referee who was rumored to use witchcraft to charm the players in an instant at the inaugural World Cup.
How did the World Cup come about?
On May 21, 1904, three Frenchmen Franne, Espiel, and Jielang, as well as six people, including the Dutch Hirschmann, the Swiss Victor, and the Danish Sulo, carefully walked into a simple house of the Athletics Association Federation in Paris, founded FIFA, and drafted the statutes. Subsequently, the Frenchman Robert Gerin became the first president of FIFA.
One of the most important principles is that only FIFA has the power to organize international tournaments, which is the predecessor of the World Cup. This also explains why, to this day, many institutions do not have the right to organize the World Cup. In addition to people's early qualifications, in other words, people have already established family laws.
(Photo) Delegates to FIFA's first Congress
For 26 years, from the founding of FIFA to the beginning of the first World Cup in 1930, FIFA has been trying to host a world competition, and they hope not to agree that the Olympic Games only allow amateur players to play, but to invite all the best players in the world to participate.
During this period, after many difficulties such as the opposition of member states, the outbreak of the First World War, the arrival of the Great Depression, the lack of funds, and the opposition of the Olympic Committee and other organizations, it is difficult to say anything about bitterness and difficulties.
During the Great Depression, football brought a lot of happiness to people
In 1928, FIFA held a congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the main topic was to hold a tournament open to all subordinate national football association teams in 1930, and finally 23 countries voted in favor, Denmark and other 5 countries opposed, FIFA passed the topic 23-5.
Later, the World Cup, which haunted the dreams of countless people, thus opened a chapter in history.
Why is Uruguay hosting the inaugural competition? That's interesting
After repeated discussions and debates, the World Cup determined the rules and format of the competition. The biggest problem is the host country.
In 1929, FIFA held a congress in Barcelona to elect its host. Initially, four European countries, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, and Uruguay in South America, all filed applications and engaged in heated debate.
The Netherlands was initially the most enthusiastic, but the Dutch backed down after learning that hosting the event required an obligation to provide hosting funds and accommodation. After half a day, the representative of the Netherlands politely stated his resolute attitude: Delegates, when I did not say ah, please continue, I have to go beforehand.
The second to withdraw is Sweden, they originally boasted that they are not bad money, but after carefully budgeting the specific participation costs, they backed down, but the good-looking Swedes did not want to fall behind because they did not have enough money to host the World Cup.
In the midst of the dilemma, the Italian delegation spoke: we would have liked to do it, but...
Italians and Swedes have the same disease and want to hold a competition, but they have no money. Under such circumstances, the representatives of the two countries began to talk about each other, the main purpose is to recommend each other to host the World Cup.
The Swedish representative quickly counterattacked: Italian Wuhua Tianbao, brilliant people, football has a broad mass base here, I think you should not shirk.
The Italian representative did not show weakness: don't say goodbye, big brother, your people there are rich, although there are difficulties in hosting the World Cup, but the people of the world believe that the industrious Swedish people, who do not admit defeat, will definitely host a successful World Cup.
The representatives of the Netherlands and Hungary, who had returned at that time, also joined the discussion. The final end to this chicken fight was Argentina's representative Barrera.
He proposed that it should be hosted by Uruguay, first of all Uruguay has an excellent football record, in 1924 and 1928 at the Olympic Games, both Uruguay won the championship; Secondly, Uruguayan football was at the world's leading level at that time, and it was a popular sport for the masses, and the people of South America could also enjoy the event together.
The representative of Uruguay, Buero, after nodding his head in acknowledgment of his efforts, thanked Argentina, Italy and Spain in particular for their support. It also set a match date with FIFA: July 15 to August 15, 1930.
The representatives of Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, happy snot bubbles gushed out, and they all agreed.
Italians are even more righteous: Good! Good! Congratulations, there are a lot of Italians who play and work in Uruguay, and in order to show the Italian team Uruguay's concern, we will definitely support it at that time.
In this way, Uruguay became a sponsor of the inaugural World Cup, but a series of unexpected difficulties began.
Promise Europeans, crazy races
At the FIFA convention, 16 European countries voted for Uruguay, but by the time the first World Cup was about to start, 14 countries were absent, including Italy and Sweden, which had previously sworn to it. Instead, Romania and Yugoslavia, which opposed Uruguay's hosting, arrived early.
At that time, airplanes had been invented for 27 years, but they were not as developed as they are today. Originally, FIFA President Remite invited Italy, England, Spain, Austria and other teams to sail from Barcelona to Montevideo on the "Earl d'Green" cruise, which lasted 17 days, but in the end only France and Belgium arrived.
FIFA President Remitt waved his hand after arriving in Uruguay
The reasons for refusing to come to Ukraine are simple: too far away, too much cost, too much risk, too little money.
The absence of Europe's biggest teams has reduced the spectacle of the game a lot, but it has not stopped the enthusiasm of the audience from watching the game. South American fans are obsessed with football, and every match in Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina is full. Tickets could not be bought, and there were tens of thousands of fans standing outside the stadium.
In addition to the fans, the first World Cup was equally exciting. The first goal in the history of the World Cup was the Frenchman Laurent, who later recalled that he came to Uruguay to take a long trip with his friends and explore the mysterious South American continent.
The U.S. team wore a plaid shirt, and the 11 people who played in the first game were all naturalized troops, including 6 English and 5 Scots, whose goalkeeper was previously a shot put player and often habitually turned a few laps when serving goalball. After Uruguay's powerful striker Anselmo was unable to play due to illness, their one-armed striker Castro became legendary...
After fierce competition, Uruguay and Argentina reached the final. But before the game, FIFA found a serious problem: it had not found a referee yet! At this time, the protagonist of the article appeared.
Can protest coaches and players fall in an instant, the referee will spell?
Johann Langanus, Belgian, born in 1891, loves sports. The first time he took the FIFA referee's exam, he failed the interview and failed.
The question posed by the interviewer was: If you were in the middle of an important game and suddenly a player shot at the goal and the ball hit a plane flying in the sky, how do you decide the penalty? Langanus opened his mouth and could not speak, thinking: Who, with this footwork, and then the plane down, the people on the stadium can still live, the midnight spirit story?
Just as his brain was open, the interviewer woke up Langanus: Failed the interview, next!
Later, through hard work, Langanus became a football referee. He oversaw several football matches at the 1928 Olympic Games. In 1930, only 3 European referees, including him, went to Uruguay, and the rest of the referees and referees were selected from the local area. For example, the managers of Bolivia and Romania, they have to be referees while coaching the team.
Before the law enforcement final, Langanus served as the referee for 2 matches, both experiencing panic events.
In Argentina's 3-1 win over Chile, after a foul by Argentine player Monti, a Chilean player walked slowly over, his eyes full of ambiguity caressing his hair, then his face and chin. This made Langanus in front of him confused: What is the relationship between these two people, the basis of infinite affection?
Between the electric light and flint, the Chilean player grabbed Monty's hair, and suddenly a left hook punch, and another right hook punch, and the person who provoked him was really dangerous. Soon, the game changed from a men's singles to a 22-person group fight, and many actions in Chinese kung fu movies and funny movies appeared, not only flying kicks, but also big fights that brought mental damage, and even players began to bite each other and pull their hair.
Langanus also can't remember how long the clashes lasted, until the cameramen on the sidelines ran out of film and the influx of police officers came in.
The Belgian, in his memoir "The Whistle Blows the World", said that there was blood everywhere, bloody noses everywhere, and after the wounds were bandaged, both sides agreed to take a break first, according to the rules of football, everyone would be sent off and the game should be cancelled immediately. But other countries had their way of doing things, and eventually the game resumed, with the Argentine and Uruguayan players laughing and giggling back on the pitch as if nothing had happened, and then happily playing until the end of the game.
The second law enforcement was even more terrifying. In the semi-finals Argentina vs. the United States, the Argentine established the lead early, and in the 80th minute, an American player fractured his leg during a scramble and was urgently lifted off the field. According to the rules of the time, no substitutions could be made, and the Americans could only fight with 10 people.
Dissatisfied with Langanus's law enforcement, Team Cole, the team doctor of the American team, rushed directly to the referee with a first-aid kit, constantly spitting out fragrant words, fuck and other words gushing out, and questioning and shouting: Are you an idiot who raised XX? Does the ball kick the plane off and you don't care?
For an instant, Langanus seemed to be back in that afternoon of the interview.
The matter was not over, the angry team doctor was angry, but directly threw the first aid kit on the ground, all kinds of bottles and cans scattered on the ground, some were smashed to pieces.
Langanus instinctively stepped back, when strange events occurred, including team doctor Cole, the head coach of the American team, Miller, and 2 American players who flickered and fell to the ground with their mouths muttered, and the scene was suddenly filled with smoke.
In the eyes of the audience, this continuous picture is that the Americans want to attack the referee forward, but Langenos keeps retreating while chanting the incantation, so the other side falls one by one.
Langanus was amazed that the acting skills of the Americans touching porcelain had reached such a peak, and on the other hand, they were glad that they did not bring more money to Uruguay, or they would have to be blackmailed.
At this time, the audience exclaimed: How terrible! This referee will do sorcery and can curse others. In that era when there was no television and no Internet, the message of the referee would be magical and witchcraft and spread rapidly.
Later, after the police and staff entered the scene, they understood the truth of the incident, and it turned out that their medical kits contained several bottles of chloroform anesthetics (scientific name chloromethane, which is an organic compound, colorless, sweet, volatile liquid. Used as a medical anesthetic, chloroform is moderately toxic and can enter the body through the digestive tract, respiratory tract, and skin).
After this match, Langanus became famous, and the streets of Uruguay knew that there was such a magic referee, and his picture was still published in the newspaper.
Dressed in a suit gift, come to the final with 2 soccer balls
Three hours before the final, FIFA was slow to decide on the referee because no one wanted to enforce the law because the atmosphere here was too hot, and in the stadium with more than 90,000 people, the pressure was not something that the average person could bear.
Before the game, the local Uruguayan and Argentine gangsters even released harsh words, if they did not let their home team win the championship, they would shoot the referee on the spot!
FIFA did not fail to consider Langanus, but the most Uruguayan team disagreed, because in the previous two games in the enforcement of Argentina, the Pampas Eagles are suspected to have profited. And the Belgians did not intend to enforce the law at all, because the previous two law enforcement were already bizarre enough.
Time slid by little and the game was about to begin, and FIFA, who could not find a referee candidate, could only beg Langanus to come again. The Belgians made their own demands: give me enough to buy a large amount of personal accident insurance, in addition to having 100 police officers to protect me, I was timid, I was afraid.
After communicating with the Uruguayan government, FIFA agreed to the request, urging the Belgians to hurry up and come to the scene. But when Langanus arrived at the scene, everyone was amazed: why did this referee come in a suit dress, wearing a delicate tie, and combing his oily head?
In the first World Cup, there are no strict requirements for the dress of the referee and players, as long as the colors can be distinguished, some players wear long-sleeved shirts to participate in the game, theoretically wearing cheongsam to play football, FIFA has no opinion. As long as you feel comfortable. But the Belgian is dressed like a referee!
Why? Langanus's statement at the time was, be formal! But then many people in the know have different interpretations.
One is: Langanus's sports suit was stolen after washing and had no clothes to wear. Another way of saying it is that he wants to leave the court smoothly after the game, does not want to be recognized at a glance, he is the referee.
At that time, the first reaction of the fans after seeing the referee was: Come and see! This European who knows witchcraft may be doing it again!
FIFA didn't have time to care about the costume at the time, because half an hour before the match, Uruguay and Argentina were already at loggerheads, and the conflict between the two sides was whose football to use.
The Argentine point of view is: made in Argentina football is the best football, made of twelve pieces of good cowhide, non-fried football, you see, Argentine football, how to play how to have.
Uruguay is not weak: our football, which is sewn by the workers one stitch by one, contains not only the sweat of the workers, but also the wonderful chemical reaction after the players touch it with their feet.
When the two teams quarreled so much that neither of them would give in. Langanus resolved the dispute with just one sentence: quarrel and quarrel, Argentine in the first half, Uruguayan in the second half, isn't it over? The two teams were momentarily quiet.
Thus in the history of the World Cup, the only scene appeared, and when he entered, Langanus came out with two footballs, with the Argentine-made 12-piece football "TIENTO" sandwiched on the left and the Uruguayan "Modelo T" football sandwiched on the right.
This is the Uruguay-made Modelo T football in the second half of the World Cup final
Quickly fleeing to escape for your life?
In this 90-minute battle, Uruguay fell behind 1-2, 4-2 overturned their opponents, won the championship, reached the top of the world, and the fans were extremely happy. Despite wearing a dress, Langanus's enforcement was not a big problem, and even the losing side, Argentina, recognized him.
After the whistle of the end of the game was blown, Uruguay's home stadium became a sea of joy, the players ran and rejoiced, the fans sang and jumped, some people clapped their hands swollen but did not stop, some laughed and laughed and cried. Langanus did not dare to stay for half a moment and quickly fled under the escort of the police.
The reason why "flee" was used was because there were tabloids at the time that Langanus had received death threats.
This was not the case, and many years later Langanus himself stated: I was indeed in a hurry to leave, because a little later I would not be able to catch the ship back to Europe, and the next ship might be a few months or even a year later.
It was the police driving two sidecar trucks, carrying their passes, and running wild with Langanus. Traffic officials also received urgent instructions: Give way to a middle-aged man in a suit and dress sitting on a satchel car!
In this way, Langanus sat on a satchel and traveled through the various crowds of revelry. The life of the previous 30 years has flashed like a movie, from running on the grass as a child, to the boring school every day, working at 6 o'clock in the evening after adulthood, facing the complaints of his wife, the noise of his children...
After living like this for 39 years, because of football, because of the experience of the World Cup, the building of Langanus did not collapse, but saw a brilliant rainbow.
The referee's fantastic journey is over, and the wonderful chapter of the World Cup continues
Langanus, who caught up with the ship at the last minute, returned to Europe a month later. His story with the inaugural World Cup is over, but football and life have turned a wonderful chapter.
Langanus later presided over the 1934 and 1938 World Cups, and after retiring from refereeing, he became a writer and shared many wonderful experiences with readers.
Infantino, the current president of FIFA, said: "In this world, there is nothing like the World Cup. No other event, not even in the social sphere, can have the power of passion like the World Cup to trigger so many different people around the world.
From the first World Cup to 2022, 92 years have passed, and the World Cup has long been a grand festival for fans around the world. Football is like a faint fire, after being ignited, day after day, cold and summer, and now it has already illuminated the world.
Yes, that's the charm of the World Cup and the charm of football.