Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Father-in-law’s precious final ticket pinched
JACK Charlton’s father-in-law had an unforgettable 1966 World Cup final – for all the wrong reasons. Generous Jack made sure Esso driver Jim Kemp had one of the best seats in the house.
But his ticket was stolen from his jacket pocket.
Crestfallen Jim “did not want to bother” Jack as he prepared for the biggest day of his life. And he didn’t want to tell his family either.
In a terrible quandary, Jim took a train to London, booked in a hotel, watched the final on the telly – then came home next day pretending he had witnessed our historic 4-2 victory over West Germany in person.
Jack’s son John said: “He never told anyone, including Jack, for a long time. He just felt it was really important not to put Jack off before the big game.”