July 8 – The Worst Foul Ever | On This Football Day

July 8 – The Worst Foul Ever

WE don’t like to generalise here at OTFD, but German goalkeepers are a strange bunch. Jens Lehman and Oliver Kahn are two of the angriest footballers the game has seen in recent years, but for all their histrionics they couldn’t match the events of today in 1982, when Harald Schumacher committed the most famous foul of all-time when he flattened French defender Patrick Battiston.

The 1982 World Cup was reaching the business end of the tournament as West Germany took on France in the semi-final in Seville. Over in Barcelona Paulo Rossi was continuing his Lazarus-like comeback as Italy reached the final with a 2-0 win over Poland, but the other semi was where all the action was at.

In a real clash of styles, Michel Platini’s stylish French team faced a texbook efficient German side that had been stressing the importance of getting the result rather than entertaining in the run-up to the game.

The first half saw the sides trade a couple of goals and the game began to get more stretched after the interval. French substitute Patrick Battiston had been on the field ten minutes when he latched onto a long ball from Platini. Unfortunately for Battiston, Schumacher also had eyes for the ball and leap towards the Frenchman, slamming his body into Battiston who was smashed in the face by the hip of the keeper.

Battiston immediately fell to the ground, losing consciousness and his two front teeth, breaking his jaw and also suffered damaged vertebrae to boot. Teammates rushed to their fallen comrade, with Platini later admitting he thought he had died, as “he had no pulse and looked pale.”

Amazingly, the referee had not even give a foul, let alone a red card and Schumacher was hardly remorseful: “There is no compassion among professionals. Tell him I’ll pay for the crowns” was his reaction following the game. In one fell swoop, Schumacher had brought back the stereotypical image of an ugly, arrogant German, especially as he waved away the protests of the French players, looking annoyed that he couldn’t get his goal-kick taken quickly.

Battiston was given oxygen on the pitch and would later slip into a coma. He would eventually make a full recovery, and was a part of the 1984 European Championship winning side.

The game, meanwhile, continued, reaching extra-time after Manuel Amoros had crashed a 25-yard drive onto the German crossbar in the last minute. The extra-time period cemented this match’s place in the all-time great semi-finals as a further four goals were scored, meaning that penalties would be used for the first time in a World Cup semi.

And we all know what happens when Germany are in a penalty shoot-out. Schumacher would go on to be the hero, saving Maxime Bossis’ spot-kick and the Germans would meet Italy in the final.

See football’s most infamous foul below and come back tomorrow for something a bit less gory.