There is no denying across this course that the World Cup is a tremendous social, political, and economic opportunity for the host nation. The governments of Mexico (1970) and Argentina (1978) benefited greatly from having the contest inside of their borders.
“In comparing Mexico 1970 to other World Cups via images, it’s clear to see it had more in common with the 12 editions that came after it, than it did with its eight predecessors.”
Mexico 1970 was arguably the first “modern” world cup. The first contest featuring color TV (a fact that helped Mexico secure the tournament to begin with), the first tournament held in North America, and a streamlined version of soccer including the telstar ball and yellow & red cards. This was the final installation of the tournament using the Rimet trophy, awarded to Pele & Brazil.
This tournament was an opportunity for Mexico to display its national pride and advanced technology on the global stage in lieu of internal political tension and repression.
A famous picture of Pele which came out of the 1970 World Cup
“He [Videla] was a serious man, and yet perhaps the most famous photograph of him shows him with a grin, in the clinching moments of the World Cup final, on June 25, 1978… The smile wasn’t a fan celebrating a win but a general celebrating a victory.”
The military junta under Videla also used the World Cup as a political tool. This in my opinion was a significantly more deliberate use of the beautiful game as a political masking tool. Meer yards away from the stadium hosting world cup matches was a prison camp for political disentees.
This quote highlights perfectly how Videla knew the power of the spectacle of the world cup. This event allowed him and his government to be portrayed positively on an international scale – something of huge importance to the legitimacy and rule of his government.
Lots of people who were imprisoned or affected by the dictatorship look back with poor memories of this world cup and the political power that it gave to the government that caused so much harm. In some cases not even eating in restaurants that display pictures of the team from this year.
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