Controversies during the 1934 FIFA World Cup

• FIFA made the decision to hold the second World Cup in Europe.
• Italy was chosen to host.
• 32 other teams joined it in the qualifying round.

Italian hosts
Teams: 16
Format: Round of 16, semifinals, and championship
17 matches
Goals: 70
Success: Italy

Background

FIFA made the decision to hold the second World Cup in Europe after the groundwork was created for it four years prior in Uruguay.

Italy was chosen to host, but in order to guarantee attendance, it had to participate in qualifying matches alone.

32 other teams joined it in the qualifying round, and 16 of those made it to the finals.

In another first-and-only occurrence in a FIFA World Cup, hosts Uruguay withdrew from the competition in protest about the absence of the majority of European teams from the 1930 World Cup it hosted.

The only South American teams to qualify for the event were Argentina and Brazil, but they were unable to advance, and the quarterfinals ended up being an all-European affair.

The final was held in Rome, with the matches taking place in eight other Italian towns. In the first five minutes of extra time in the closely contested championship game, star forward Angelo Schiavio scored to give the home team a victory.

Highs

Because of the success of the first World Cup, FIFA moved quickly to arrange the second one and was able to secure the participation of prominent European athletes.

FIFA made several critical decisions that would be carried over into future tournaments, including the qualification system, the distribution of matches among different locations, and the third-place playoff.

In 12 of the 16 participant nations, the competition was broadcast live on the radio for the first time.

Luis Monti, a member of Argentina’s 1930 runner-up squad, won the championship with his recently adopted nation, Italy. He is the only player to have played in two World Cup finals for two different nations.

Lows

Benito Mussolini and his fascist party were in power when the competition took place in Italy.

Numerous accusations of corruption and the use of power to benefit the host country were leveled against the leader and his party.

On-field altercations, controversies, and delays ruined the quarterfinal between Italy and Spain. A replay ultimately decided the matter.

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