WEBVTT - 9 Soccer-ish Facts about the World Cup

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<v Speaker 1>I guess what will what's that mango? So you know

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<v Speaker 1>I love the World Cup, right, And one of the

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<v Speaker 1>people I always think about when the World Cup starts

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<v Speaker 1>now is Kim Jong Ill, like the Korean dictator? What

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<v Speaker 1>what what's you have to do with soccer? Yeah, so

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not sure if you remember this, but in two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand ten, North Korea sent this team to the World

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<v Speaker 1>Cup and the coach of the team claimed that when

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<v Speaker 1>the North Korean scored, or if they ever won games,

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<v Speaker 1>it was only because he was getting guidance during the

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<v Speaker 1>game from Kim Jong Il. The guy's got so many talents.

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<v Speaker 1>So how exactly did this work? So it's in it's

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<v Speaker 1>an amazing way he did this. The dictator was apparently

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<v Speaker 1>sending him telepathic signals through this invisible cell phone technology

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<v Speaker 1>that he'd invented I guess one year before, and and

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<v Speaker 1>that's what dictators do in their spare time. But before

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<v Speaker 1>you laugh at how ludicrous that sounds, you do have

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<v Speaker 1>to remember that this is the same man who the

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<v Speaker 1>first time he played golf supposedly scored five holes in one.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, it might sound just like borderline ridiculou list,

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<v Speaker 1>but anyway, but it was the North Korean team any good?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, they did get to the World Cup, which is,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, a huge heat, but it's hard to compete

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<v Speaker 1>against superstar nations and they ended up losing seven zero

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<v Speaker 1>to Portugal. And supposedly when they arrived back in pyong Young,

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<v Speaker 1>they were put on a stage and humiliated for six

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<v Speaker 1>hours and from these elite government officials and which just

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<v Speaker 1>sounds miserable, like it's a no win situation. But that's

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<v Speaker 1>actually the first of nine World Cup facts we've got

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<v Speaker 1>for you today. So let's dive in. Hey, their podcast listeners,

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<v Speaker 1>welcome the part time genius. I'm Will Pearson and as

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<v Speaker 1>always I'm joined by my good friend Mangues Ticket and

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<v Speaker 1>sitting behind that soundproof glass, he's cross stitching again, Mango.

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<v Speaker 1>He is cross stitching a tribute, this time to pull

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<v Speaker 1>the World Cup predicting octopus. He's so good at needle point,

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<v Speaker 1>he really is. Well, that's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Mago. It's obviously World Cup season and we're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about soccer today. But I'm curious before we dive in,

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<v Speaker 1>why do you love the tournament so much? So part

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<v Speaker 1>of it is that I grew up in the States

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<v Speaker 1>and I only got to visit my relatives in India

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<v Speaker 1>every I don't know, three or four years, and it

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<v Speaker 1>was always doing the monsoons. But when it was a

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<v Speaker 1>World Cup year, it was just so exciting. And I remember,

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<v Speaker 1>particularly like when I was in fifth grade, my grandparents

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<v Speaker 1>had one of the few color TVs around, and this

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<v Speaker 1>was obviously a long time ago, but we'd all stay

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<v Speaker 1>up to watch the games live and you play cards,

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<v Speaker 1>you chat to just be so much anticipation for these games.

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<v Speaker 1>And then my cousins friends would come over and so

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<v Speaker 1>we'd all huddle around this tiny TV and just root

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<v Speaker 1>for underdogs and and you know, you'd be watching like

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<v Speaker 1>Roger Mila, who was I don't know, like thirty eight

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<v Speaker 1>or thirty nine score goals, and you'd be so excited

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<v Speaker 1>for him or or you know, you see these colonial

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<v Speaker 1>rivalries play out on the pitch, and and it was

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<v Speaker 1>just really fun, partially because soccer is so much a

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<v Speaker 1>game of upsets, like more upsets happened in soccer than

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<v Speaker 1>other sports. But I had this amazing experience in two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand and six when I wanted to watch this Ivory

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<v Speaker 1>Coast game in Brooklyn, and this was before soccer seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to be that big in New York. I was in

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<v Speaker 1>Clinton Hill. I was I was walking to a bar

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<v Speaker 1>and they didn't have the game on. And then I

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<v Speaker 1>walked to this other bar and they didn't have this

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<v Speaker 1>game on, and I was like increasingly irritated that I

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't watch this game. And then I walked by this

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<v Speaker 1>empty African barbershop and I heard these cheers in the back.

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<v Speaker 1>So I just kind of looked in and there was

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<v Speaker 1>this guy standing in the back. He kind of just

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<v Speaker 1>pointed at me and he said, you want to watch

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<v Speaker 1>the game? And I was like nodding, and he pulled

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<v Speaker 1>this curtain open and in the back of the barbershop

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<v Speaker 1>there was this room full of people just huddled around

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<v Speaker 1>this tiny TV. And he motioned me to come in

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<v Speaker 1>and and so I just watched the game on the floor,

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<v Speaker 1>surrounded by people, and it just reminded me of India

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<v Speaker 1>and and it was just so wonderful. I love that.

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<v Speaker 1>I love that story. That's pretty great. And you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I obviously love international soccer. I love men's soccer, women's soccer,

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<v Speaker 1>but uh, I'm excited that you actually had to research

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<v Speaker 1>soccer for this episode, right right, I'm curious what story

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<v Speaker 1>you're gonna lead off with. Yeah, you know it actually

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<v Speaker 1>had a lot of fun researching for this this episode,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think though that I'm going to stick with

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<v Speaker 1>your dictator's team. And this is a story that involves Mussolini.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think we both know that FIFA is a

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<v Speaker 1>pretty corrupt organization, but it's hard to imagine anything is

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<v Speaker 1>brazen as when Italy held the World Cup. This was

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<v Speaker 1>back in nineteen thirty four. Now, according to a book

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<v Speaker 1>by the BBC's Chris Hunt, Mussolini started things off by

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<v Speaker 1>making the trophy way more ostentatious, which is not surprising.

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<v Speaker 1>That's kind of the dictator's thing to do. He built

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<v Speaker 1>his own trophy for the Cup that was six times

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<v Speaker 1>the size, six times the size of the traditional World

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<v Speaker 1>Cup trophy. Then he proceeded it to rig the matches,

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<v Speaker 1>at least that's what people think. So there's this rumor

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<v Speaker 1>that he hand picked every ref in the tournament, and

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<v Speaker 1>when Italy beat Austria in the semifinals, it really showed,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean apparently not only were their penalties and bad

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<v Speaker 1>calls against Austria that shouldn't have been called. But during

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<v Speaker 1>one play in Austrian kicked the ball to go out

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<v Speaker 1>of bounds and the ref actually headed the ball back

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<v Speaker 1>in and passed it to an Italian player. That's ridiculous,

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<v Speaker 1>But I mean, I guess if you're going to the

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<v Speaker 1>trouble of creating a trophy that six times that big,

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<v Speaker 1>like you might as well ring the tournament. It's true,

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<v Speaker 1>it's true, And like you said, soccer is a game

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<v Speaker 1>of upsets, so it's possible that they could have won

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<v Speaker 1>on their own. And apparently Mussolini didn't even like soccer,

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<v Speaker 1>and he often described the sport as unmanly, but he

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<v Speaker 1>knew that it was important to be seen as victorious

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<v Speaker 1>on this huge world stage. And they're actually academic papers

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<v Speaker 1>about this that speculate it would have been hard for

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<v Speaker 1>Italy to have gotten those results without at least some

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<v Speaker 1>help from the refs. That's really crazy. So one of

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<v Speaker 1>the things I've enjoyed doing is seeing what the World

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<v Speaker 1>Cup teams demand at hotels. And for some reason, this

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<v Speaker 1>was leaked in two thousand ten, and some of the

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<v Speaker 1>things makes sense, right, Like Portugal wanted the hotel to

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<v Speaker 1>provide these four bodyguards for Cristiano Ronaldo, who's obviously a

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<v Speaker 1>massive superstar. Um Algeria wanted Karen's in every room, and

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<v Speaker 1>and Ecuador wanted a daily banana basket delivered to each player.

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<v Speaker 1>Has just fun banana basket. I think that should just

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<v Speaker 1>be a thing everywhere, right, But perhaps one of the

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<v Speaker 1>strangest request was that France had this outright ban on

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<v Speaker 1>bar soap for their players. And they demand that the

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<v Speaker 1>hotel only provide liquid soaps. So I honestly get all

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<v Speaker 1>of the others, but but why the bar soap thing.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, I'm not sure about this entirely. I do

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<v Speaker 1>know the French manager is a little cookie, or was

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<v Speaker 1>a little cookie, and and at the time he was

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<v Speaker 1>really into astrology, so he wouldn't like let Aleo be

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<v Speaker 1>a defender on the team or whatever. But I think

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<v Speaker 1>this was just a way to prevent any chance of

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<v Speaker 1>slipping on bar so open in the shower or or

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<v Speaker 1>in the bathroom. I don't know. It's kind of crazy, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I guess, I guess I can see where

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<v Speaker 1>he's coming from on that. But all right, Well, here's

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<v Speaker 1>a quick one about the World Cup trophy. So for starters,

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<v Speaker 1>it's strange that it's called the World Cup when the

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<v Speaker 1>trophy isn't really shaped like a cup anymore. But one

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<v Speaker 1>of the facts I saw about this, did you know

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<v Speaker 1>that the trophy is actually running out of room? So

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<v Speaker 1>how do you mean? Well, currently there's only space to

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<v Speaker 1>etch in maybe three or four more winning teams onto

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<v Speaker 1>the trophies. So if you look ahead to the twenty

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<v Speaker 1>thirty World Cup, they'll either need to extend the trophy

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<v Speaker 1>with a bigger basse or they'll just have to make

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<v Speaker 1>a new trophy. That's pretty funny. So one thing I've

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<v Speaker 1>heard repeated over and over since I was a kid

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<v Speaker 1>was that India made the nine World Cup, but then

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<v Speaker 1>they had to withdraw. And I've heard different variations of

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<v Speaker 1>the story, right, Like I've heard that the team refused

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<v Speaker 1>to play in shoes, or or because they wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>play barefoot, or like the Indian government refused to buy

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<v Speaker 1>them shoes, or they did wear shoes but they couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>play in them, and and I was curious if there

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<v Speaker 1>was any truth to this. Right, it turns out in

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<v Speaker 1>the Summer Olympics, the Indian national team competed against France

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<v Speaker 1>and it was actually a close game. It was two

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<v Speaker 1>to one, but they did it playing barefoot, which actually

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<v Speaker 1>shocked the world community. But then nine fifty when they

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<v Speaker 1>made the World Cup, they actually backed out for a

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<v Speaker 1>different reason. So according to historians, while the team might

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<v Speaker 1>have been annoyed that they had to play in soccer shoes,

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<v Speaker 1>it had more to do with the fact that the

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<v Speaker 1>World Cup was announced late and they had this super

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<v Speaker 1>short practice schedule, and the fact that the newly independent

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<v Speaker 1>Indian government didn't think that the World Cup was that

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<v Speaker 1>big a tournament, so like they didn't want to fund

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<v Speaker 1>the team to go halfway around the world of Brazil.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, if it had been another Olympics, they would

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<v Speaker 1>have happily ponied up for that, but they didn't see

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<v Speaker 1>this as that big a world event. And the strange

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<v Speaker 1>part is that soccer isn't that big an Indian now,

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<v Speaker 1>like everyone is cricket crazy. But if they had sent

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<v Speaker 1>that team to the World Cup, there are a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of historians who think that India would have been more

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<v Speaker 1>ested in soccer over the years and and had a

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<v Speaker 1>much stronger team today. Yeah, and I mean that makes

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<v Speaker 1>sense when you think about the impact of of this

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<v Speaker 1>worldwide tournament. But well, here's a funny little tradition. So

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<v Speaker 1>in the nineteen sixty two World Cup, Chile's team ate

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<v Speaker 1>Swiss cheese before defeating the Swiss. Then they ate spaghetti

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<v Speaker 1>before playing Italy and beat them. Then they drank vodka

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<v Speaker 1>shots to prepare for the USSR match, which they also won.

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<v Speaker 1>And then they drank coffee before a brazil match. But

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<v Speaker 1>apparently it was really the wrong stereotypical food to ingest

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<v Speaker 1>because their luck ran out in that game. Unfortunately. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know what Brazilian food you should have eaten to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure you beat the Brazilian team, but the tough one.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's another weird one about superstitions, and this comes from

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<v Speaker 1>an argentinean goldie named Sergio Goccia, and he used to

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<v Speaker 1>leave it all out on the field before penalty shootouts.

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<v Speaker 1>And actually I'm going to let him describe it. This

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<v Speaker 1>is from an interview with The Guardian, So quote reporter,

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<v Speaker 1>didn't you you used to prepare for shootouts by urinating

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<v Speaker 1>on the pitch? You know, by the rules of the

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<v Speaker 1>game until the match finishes, you cannot abandoned the field,

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<v Speaker 1>and if you have any necessary human urges, you have

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<v Speaker 1>to go on the field. So That's what happened against

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<v Speaker 1>Yugoslavia in the ninety World Cup quarterfinals. At the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the game, I really had to go, so I

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<v Speaker 1>had no choice, but we won. So then when the

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<v Speaker 1>semifinal against Italy went to penalties, I did it again

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<v Speaker 1>and it worked. So from that moment on, I did

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<v Speaker 1>it before every shootout. It was my lucky charm. That

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<v Speaker 1>is so strange, but you know, you do hear about

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<v Speaker 1>so many of these athletes being superstitious, and there's so

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<v Speaker 1>much on the line that you know, it's not surprising

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<v Speaker 1>they developed superstitions, But that one is a little weird.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know that I know many that are weirder

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<v Speaker 1>than that. But all right, we've got two more facts

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<v Speaker 1>before we declare a winner. But before we get to those,

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<v Speaker 1>let's take a quick break. Welcome back to Part time Genius.

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<v Speaker 1>We're talking about the World Cup. So before we get

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<v Speaker 1>to our last couple of facts, Mango, I'm curious, are

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<v Speaker 1>you enjoying the tournament this year? Yeah? I am. I

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<v Speaker 1>I love all the upsets, I love following different nations

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<v Speaker 1>and stuff, but I haven't watched as much as i'd

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<v Speaker 1>like because you know, the games are on during the day.

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<v Speaker 1>It's it's funny. As we have watched though, Lizzie has

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<v Speaker 1>had this funny theory about the managers of the teams,

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<v Speaker 1>like she thinks they either all look like they could

0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:35.719
<v Speaker 1>be French presidents or disheveled retirees. And it's actually a

0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:38.840
<v Speaker 1>pretty good way to like organize the managers if if

0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:41.760
<v Speaker 1>you see them, they neatly fit into those two categories.

0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:45.440
<v Speaker 1>It's sometimes they're the most entertaining part of these matches.

0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:48.720
<v Speaker 1>Like I've loved watching the Synegal coach. He was so animated.

0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:51.800
<v Speaker 1>It's it's been pretty entertaining. And I mean he looks

0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:54.600
<v Speaker 1>like he should be a French president. It's a category.

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<v Speaker 1>You're right, it's a good theory. Here, what's your last factor?

0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.640
<v Speaker 1>All right, Well, this isn't exact actually a World Cup fact,

0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:04.000
<v Speaker 1>but there's a stadium that I wanted to talk about,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's a Studio Milton Coorea, which is also called

0:12:07.400 --> 0:12:10.640
<v Speaker 1>Big Zero or the Big Zero. And what's awesome about

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<v Speaker 1>it is that the midfield line is located exactly on

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<v Speaker 1>the equator. And so here's what I think is fun

0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.120
<v Speaker 1>about that. So when you're playing there, each team is

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<v Speaker 1>actually playing for and defending an entire hemisphere. So I

0:12:23.720 --> 0:12:26.360
<v Speaker 1>don't know why I find that so amusing. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>it feels like that's where the World Cup finals should

0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:31.880
<v Speaker 1>be held every year, you know, if this perfect sense?

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Well, what's your last fact, Mago. Well, if

0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:37.319
<v Speaker 1>you've been watching the World Cup, there's been a little

0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.080
<v Speaker 1>speculation about whether Russia should be winning as much as

0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:43.079
<v Speaker 1>they have, and it is actually a good team. I mean,

0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:45.280
<v Speaker 1>they came in sort of mediocre, but they've played smart.

0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:48.800
<v Speaker 1>But there are questions about Vladimir Putin and Russian corruption.

0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:51.640
<v Speaker 1>But the Russians are actually responsible for one of the

0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:54.880
<v Speaker 1>most honest moments in World Cup history. And there's this

0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:58.360
<v Speaker 1>player named Igornetto. Uh. This was in the nineteen two

0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:01.400
<v Speaker 1>World Cup. His his team was tied up with Uruguay

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<v Speaker 1>and he scored a goal, but it actually went through

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<v Speaker 1>the net on the side of the goal. So Netto

0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:08.760
<v Speaker 1>went to the ref and he urged him not to

0:13:08.800 --> 0:13:10.960
<v Speaker 1>count it because it wouldn't be fair to win that way.

0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:13.240
<v Speaker 1>And and I can't even imagine a player being that

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<v Speaker 1>honest today, you know, I mean, people fake injuries to

0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.160
<v Speaker 1>get penalties, people do all these things. But you know,

0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.560
<v Speaker 1>he asked for a goal to be retracted, and luckily

0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:24.880
<v Speaker 1>the team scored and won in the nine minute of

0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:28.960
<v Speaker 1>the game. But years later he recalled why he did that,

0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:31.800
<v Speaker 1>and he said, quote, we should win without relying on

0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:34.560
<v Speaker 1>the referee's mistakes, and when it was changed, I finally

0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:37.640
<v Speaker 1>felt a sense of relief. Yeah wow, I mean, you know,

0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:41.640
<v Speaker 1>it is so rare in sports to see that level

0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:44.520
<v Speaker 1>of of honesty. So you know, I kind of want

0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:46.240
<v Speaker 1>to give you the trophy for that one. And then

0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:50.120
<v Speaker 1>of course, thinking back about the goal, Coachia, you know, uh,

0:13:50.360 --> 0:13:52.439
<v Speaker 1>urinating on the pitch and all of that, like that

0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:56.000
<v Speaker 1>is just so strange. But I gotta be honest, I'm

0:13:56.040 --> 0:14:00.880
<v Speaker 1>super impressed with Lizzie's theory of organizing the managers. I

0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:03.880
<v Speaker 1>feel like she's kind of swooped in and stolen the

0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:06.240
<v Speaker 1>trophy this week. Or are you good with that? Yeah,

0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:09.840
<v Speaker 1>I'm fine with that. All right. Well, thank you guys

0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:12.480
<v Speaker 1>for listening. We'll be back with a full length episode tomorrow.