The Archive

Twenty-five years ago, three UK national teams prepared for a World Cup along with Argentina, as the countries’ armed forces clashed in the South Atlantic. Jon Spurling examines the politics of football and the Falklands

The Falklands conflict and the 1982 World Cup inspired flag waving, jingoism and crude, stereotyped newspaper headlines. For a few weeks in early summer, football and politics became dangerously entwined. With the Home Nations’ withdrawal from the tournament a distinct possibility, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s unswerving belief that they should compete in Spain proved crucial. However, her typically stubborn public stance masked a much more cautious approach behind the scenes.

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In Argentina, football and politics were already linked before the banners appeared proclaiming “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”. Rodrigo Orihuela explains how the sport operated under the military regime

Twenty-five years after the Falklands War, Argentines still feel strongly about the islands and consider that they were victims on two fronts – first of the British armed forces, second of their country’s dictatorship. The most important political and social legacy of the war was that it brought down the bloodiest military government in Latin America – some 12,000 people are officially listed as having been murdered by the regime that ruled from 1976 to 1983 and thousands more are still “disappeared”.

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A day after the FA Cup final, the next game at Wembley is the conclusion of the Conference play-offs. Considering the hype and disappointment of the first game, how does the battle for League status fare? Cameron Carter writes

For the past seven years, Wembley has meant nothing more than a building site quite near Neasden and a not-bad place to get a South Indian curry. Now, suddenly, Wembley is back on the popular consciousness map and has regained its third syllable. All up the Metropolitan Line, families are singing: “Wemberlee, Wemberlee, We’re the mighty Morecambe and we’re off to Wemberlee.” In no sense could you fault the veracity of the song. As one soul they disembark at Wembley Park and amble to the new stadium.

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In a matter of months he went from being seen as English football’s big managerial hope on the international stage to being a load of rubbish – more or less literally. Graham Dunbar looks back

For followers of the national team unconvinced by Steve McClaren, some comfort can be taken from the example of Mike Walker, a man who proved it is possible to go from England contender to managerial pariah in less than a year. Walker’s career path once seemed to be following that of Alf Ramsey: reaching the top after taking a small East Anglian club to unimagined heights. Eventually, he would more closely resemble Paulie Walnuts from The Sopranos: sharp-suited and well groomed, with a sideline in waste management.

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Relegation is always seen as a financial blow as well as a football disaster, but parachute payments are giving sides an edge in their new divisions and some teams may even be better off. Tom Green explains

Your tears have dried. The echoes of abusive comments at your team’s woeful defence have faded. Your season ticket has, in all probability, been renewed. But, if your team are relegated, how much will it cost them in the coming year?

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