Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics

The 1936 Olympic football tournament, won by Italy, has, obviously, come to share an affinity with the political backdrop against which it was being played; in terms of the history of football, however, the tournament suffered as a reaction to the development of the FIFA World Cup.

The introduction of the first FIFA World Cup in 1930 (which had, in itself lead to the absence of a football tournament from the 1932 Games programme) lead to a devaluation in the strength of each subsequent Olympic football tournament. Competing nations would from now on only be permitted to play their best players if those players were amateur or (where national associations were assisted by interested states to traverse such a rule) where professional players were state-sponsored.

The reinstatement of Olympic football was ensured in 1936 because the German organisers were confident that such a competition would be justified by the income it would generate. The fear that any failure by the host side would result in a loss of income had been a matter of contention despite the fact that going into the competition Germany were one of the favourites. (They had only lost at home once in three years). In the event, the early failure of the national side did nothing to deter the supporters, as the bronze and gold medal games were watched by a combined total of 195,000 people.

Background

The Italian side, victors in the 1934 FIFA World Cup and managed by Vittorio Pozzo were favourites.

quads

*Main|Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics - Men's team squads

Medalists

Competition

The competition began in dramatic circumstances. The Italians, convincing winners against the Americans at the 1934 World Cup now found the Olympic side, with ten changes, a completely different proposition. The Azzuri could hardly argue that their side was without talent; Alfredo Foni, Pietro Rava and Ugo Locatelli would all play in their World Cup victory in Paris. That they eventually prevailed was due to two incidents: the first when their bespectacled forward Frossi scored, the second when Wiengartner, the German referee, was literally restrained from sending off Archille Piccini after fouling two Americans. Italian players held both his arms and covered his mouth in protest. Piccini stayed on the park, Italy won. [http://my.opera.com/quizzer123/blog/show.dml/325679]

This was something more than Sweden managed in their tie with Japan the next day in Berlin. Two-nil up within 45 minutes their demise was shockingly recorded by the legendary Swedish commentator, Sven Jerring’s, calling “Japanese, Japanese, Japanese” as they ran out 3-2 winners. It marked the first time an Asian side had participated in either the World Cup or Olympic Games football competition. Their neighbours, China, lost, immediately, to Great Britain the next day, although there was still no disgrace: Britain were being held at the break. Otherwise there were thumping wins for Peru and the hosts, 9-0 versus Luxembourg.

First round

footballbox
date = August 3, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|ITA|old
score = 1–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32337/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|USA
goals1 = Frossi goal|58
goals2 =
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Carl Weingartner (GER)
Attendance: 9.000----footballbox
date = August 3, 1936
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|NOR
score = 4–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32338/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|TUR
goals1 = Martinsen goal|30 goal|70
Brustad goal|53
Kvammen goal|80
goals2 =
stadium = Berlin
Referee: D. Scarpi (ITA)
Attendance: 8.000----footballbox
date = August 4, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|JPN
score = 3–2
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32339/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|SWE
goals1 = Kamo goal|49
Ukon goal|62
Matsunaga goal|85
goals2 = Persson goal|24 goal|37
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Wilhelm Peters (GER)
Attendance: 5.000----footballbox
date = August 5, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|POL
score = 3–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32340/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|HUN|1940
goals1 = Gad goal|12 goal|27
Wodarz goal|88
goals2 =
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Raffaele Scorzoni (ITA)
Attendance: 5.000----footballbox
date = August 5, 1936
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|AUT
score = 3–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32341/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|EGY|1922
goals1 = Steinmetz goal|4 goal|65
Laudon goal|7
goals2 = Sakr goal|85
stadium = Berlin
Referee: A. J. Jewell (ENG)
Attendance: 6.000----footballbox
date = August 6, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|Germany|Nazi
score = 9–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32342/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|LUX
goals1 = Urban goal|16 goal|54 goal|75
Simetsreiter goal|32 goal|48 goal|74
Gauchel goal|49 goal|89
Elbern goal|76
goals2 =
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Pal Von Hertzka (HUN)
Attendance: 12.000----footballbox
date = August 6, 1936
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|PER|1825
score = 7–3
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32343/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|FIN
goals1 = Fernández goal|17 goal|33 goal|47 goal|49 goal|70
Villanueva goal|21 goal|67
goals2 = Kanerva goal|42|p.k.
Grönlund goal|75
Larvo goal|80
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (ITA)
Attendance: 2.500----footballbox
date = August 6, 1936
14:00
team1 = fb-rt|GBR
score = 2–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32344/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|Republic of China
goals1 = Doods goal|55
Finch goal|65
goals2 =
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Helmut Fink (GER)
Attendance: 8.000

Quarter Finals

Italy, now finding their feet against Japan, (and having made but one change to their team) made no mistake in their tie, winning as comprehensively as they had struggled against the Americans. Pozzo’s decision to include Biagi bore instant fruit, Baigi scoring 4 second half goals.

The same day at the Poststadion, Berlin before a crowd that included Goebbels, Goering, Hess and Hitler, Germany were knocked out 2-0 by Norway. Goebbels wrote: 'The Führer is very excited, I can barely contain myself. A real bath of nerves.' There was no real surprise to the result to those outside the higher ranks of the Third Reich. Norway, went onto give Italy a tricky tie in the first round of the 1938 FIFA World Cup. But Germany lost 2-0 and Hitler, who had never seen a football match before, and had originally planned to watch the rowing, left early in a huff. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sydney/story/0,,366607,00.html] The following day at the Hertha Platz, Austria played Peru in an astonishing game leading to a huge political row not out of keeping with the times.

The Peruvians overturned a 2 goal deficit at the half to take the tie into extra-time. All was fine until Villanueva’s goal, Peru’s fourth, in the last minute of extra-time. Time Magazine reported: In Lima President Oscar Benavides of Peru last week addressed an angry crowd. Said he: "I have just received cables from the Argentine, Chile, Uruguay and Mexico solidifying the Peruvian attitude against the crafty Berlin decision." The crowd, which had already torn down an Olympic flag, surged on to listen to more speeches in the Plaza San Martin. Later it proceeded to the German Consulate to throw stones at the windows until police arrived in trucks. At Callao, Lima's seaport, workmen on the docks refused to load two German vessels.

The "crafty Berlin decision" concerned a soccer game. Last fortnight Peru's Olympic team won a hard match against Austria, 4 goals to 2. After the game, Austria protested that Peruvian players had manhandled them, that spectators, one brandishing a revolver, had swarmed down on the field. FIFA ordered the game replayed behind closed doors, so Peru's whole Olympic team of 50 promptly withdrew from the Games in protest; the game was awarded to Austria by default. Said Michael Dasso of the Peruvian Olympic Committee: "We've no faith in European athletics. We have come here and found a bunch of merchants."

[http://www.time/magazine/article/0,9171,756542,00.html] ]

The last of the quarter-finals had all of the excitement but none of the fall-out; Poland, assisted by their forward, Hubert Gad, played out a nine-goal party to defeat the British side; at one time they were 5-1 to the better. The Casual's Bernard Joy scored two as Britain fought back gamely but they ran out of time. Prior to the Games Daniel Pettit received a letter from the Football Association which dealt mostly with the uniform he would wear. As he explained to the academic Rachel Cutler there was a handwritten PS that said: 'As there is a month to go before we leave for Berlin kindly take some exercise.' The obedient Petit ran around his local park. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sydney/story/0,,366607,00.html]

footballbox
date = August 7, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|ITA|old
score = 8–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32345/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|JPN
goals1 = Frossi goal|14 goal|75 goal|80
Biagi goal|32 goal|57 goal|81 goal|82
Cappelli goal|89
goals2 =
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Otto Ohlsson (SWE)
Attendance: 8.000----footballbox
date = August 7, 1936
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|Germany|Nazi
score = 0–2
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32346/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|NOR
goals1 =
goals2 = Isaksen goal|7 goal|83
stadium = Berlin
Referee: A. W. Barton (ENG)
Attendance: 55.000----footballbox
date = August 8, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|POL
score = 5–4
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32347/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|GBR
goals1 = Gad goal|33
Wodarz goal|43 goal|48 goal|53
Piec goal|56
goals2 = Clemens goal|26
Shearer goal|71
Joy goal|78 goal|80
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Rudolf Eklow (SWE)
Attendance: 6.000----footballbox
date = August 8, 1936
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|PER|1825
score = 4–2
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32348/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|AUT
goals1 = Alcade goal|75
Villanueva goal|81 goal|117
Fernández goal|119
goals2 = Wergin goal|23
Steinmetz goal|37
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Th. Kristiansen (NOR)
Attendance: 5.000

emi Finals

footballbox
date = August 10, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|ITA|old
score = 2–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32349/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|NOR
goals1 = Negro goal|15
Frossi goal|96
goals2 = Brustad goal|58
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Pal von Hertzka (HUN)
Attendance: 95.000----footballbox
date = August 11, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|AUT
score = 3–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32350/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|POL
goals1 = Kainberger goal|14
Laudon goal|55
Mandl goal|88
goals2 = Gad goal|73
stadium = Berlin
Referee: A. W. Barton (ENG)
Attendance: 82.000

Bronze medal match

footballbox
date = August 13, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|NOR
score = 3–2
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32351/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|POL
goals1 = Brustad goal|15 goal|21 goal|84
goals2 = Wodarz goal|5
Peterek goal|24|p.k.
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Alfred Birlem (GER)
Attendance: 95.000

The Final (Gold medal match)

Italy now overcame Norway in a match refereed by Dr Peco Bauwens; the Austrians having defeated Poland to attend the final. Not that there was much in it; Frossi again scoring for the Azzuri and getting the winner just as extra-time got underway.

footballbox
date = August 15, 1936
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|ITA|old
score = 2–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/matches/match=32352/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|AUT
goals1 = Frossi goal|70 goal|92
goals2 = Kainberger goal|79
stadium = Berlin
Referee: Peco Bauwens (GER)
Attendance: 85.000

Bracket

Round16
03 August - Berlin| fb|ITA|old |1| fb|USA |0
03 August - Berlin| fb|JPN |3| fb|SWE |2
04 August - Berlin| fb|NOR |4| fb|TUR |0
05 August - Berlin| fb|GER|Nazi |9| fb|LUX |0
05 August - Berlin| fb|AUT |3| fb|EGY|1922 |1
06 August - Berlin| fb|PER|1825 |7| fb|FIN |3
06 August - Berlin| fb|POL |3| fb|HUN|1940 |0
06 August - Berlin| fb|GBR |2| fb|Republic of China |0
07 August - Berlin| fb|ITA|old |8| fb|JPN |0
07 August - Berlin| fb|NOR |2| fb|GER|Nazi |0
08 August - Berlin| fb|AUT |2| fb|PER|1825 (AET)|4
08 August - Berlin| fb|POL |5| fb|GBR|4
10 August - Berlin| fb|ITA|old (AET)|2| fb|NOR|1
11 August - Berlin| fb|AUT |3| fb|POL |1
15 August - Berlin| fb|ITA|old (AET)|2| fb|AUT |1
13 August - Berlin| fb|NOR |3| fb|POL |2
widescore=yes

References

* [http://www.rsssf.com/tableso/ol1936f.html RSSSF Archive]