March 20 - World Cup Stolen

YOU really have to feel for the poor FA bod who had to make the phone call to FIFA.

“Umm, now don’t get mad, don’t get cross but we’ve had a bit of a break in and someone’s stolen the World Cup.”

It was on this day in 1966 that the English Football Association managed to lose the most famous and precious item in the world of football when the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen in London.

At the time it was on exhibition at Central Hall in Westminster as part of a stamp display, in anticipation of the world cup tournament that was to be held later in the year.

The theft occurred despite two (clearly inept) guards being in the room at the time, although they were seemingly tying their shoelaces at the time and missed the whole thing.

The best lead the Police had sounded like they simply made it up to sound like they were on the ball. They said a suspicious-looking man was seen in the building at the time of the theft. He is described as being in his early 30s, of average height with thin lips, greased black hair and a possible scar on his face. They might as well have said he was wearing a black mask and carrying a bag marked ‘SWAG’.

There was now the very real possibility of having to conduct the World Cup prize giving ceremony without the World Cup. A much more difficult proposition.

Given the lack of leads the police had this was looking likely so in secret, the FA secretary, Denis Follows, visited silversmith George Bird at his workshop in Fenchurch Street. He asked him to make a replica of the trophy and to keep the whole thing under his hat.

Meanwhile the plot was thickening like school dinner gravy when FA and Chelsea chairman Joe Mears received a phone call from a man named Jackson telling him to expect a parcel at Stamford Bridge the next day. The parcel contained a removable piece of lining from the Cup and a ransom note for £15,000.

Despite warnings from ‘Jackson’ not to involve the fuzz, Mears had got DI Len Buggy of the Flying Squad in on the action and an exchange was set up between Jackson and Mears.

All the excitement was too much for Mears who had an angina attack on the night of the swap and could not go. DI Buggy took his place posing as Mears’ assistant.

After picking him up in Mears’ car and driving around London for a while Buggy was forced to alter the plan and arrest Jackson when he smelt a rat and made a break for it.

His real name was Edward Bletchley and in interview he claimed he was simply a middleman working for a mysterious Keyser Söze-like figure: The Pole.

What happened next is the subject of much debate but there are claims that Bletchley cut a deal with the police that if he was allowed a visit in prison by a lady friend the Cup would turn up. Two days later, a dog named Pickles succeeded where the whole of Her Majesty’s Royal Constabulary had failed when he found the Jules Rimet trophy wrapped in paper under a car near his owner’s home in Norwood, south London.

David Corbett was just popping across the road when his dog found the priceless item. He told The Observer in 2006: “I picked it up and tore some paper and saw a woman holding a dish over her head, and disks with the words Germany, Uruguay, Brazil. I rushed inside to my wife. She was one of those anti-sport wives. But I said, ‘I’ve found the World Cup! I’ve found the World Cup!’”

Surely even one of those famous anti-sport wives would have realised the significance of this and David ran straight down to the local Police Station to hand in his find, where he was promptly arrested for his trouble. Some people have no gratitude.

Eventually Corbett was released and him and Pickles became world-wide celebrities with Pickles even being named Dog of the Year, although you would hope so really given that no other dog in the running could lay claim to finding the World Cup.

Have a look at Bobby Moore with the famous trophy when England won the Cup in July 1966, and come back tomorrow when we will once again be providing you with the opportunity to skive off work for five minutes or so.

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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