Bob looks back on the World Cup’s shame game
By Sean Hamilton
He took charge of the game that shamed the World Cup.
But former referee Bob Valentine made sure the “Disgrace of Gijon” did not stain Scottish refereeing.
Tomorrow marks 36 years to the day since West Germany and Austria colluded to ensure their dual progression to the knockout stages in Spain 1982.
It was made possible after group rivals Algeria played their final match – a 3-2 win over Chile – the previous day.
The West German and Austrian sides knew a win by no more than two goals for the former would secure qualification for both.
What followed – a 1-0 win for the West Germans in a match where neither side appeared to make any effort whatsoever – prompted worldwide scandal.
An immediate decree from FIFA followed, whereby all final group games would henceforth kick off at the same time.
It’s a rule that will be in evidence when tomorrow’s last round of group fixtures begin in Russia.
But for Valentine – the man in the middle on the fateful day that inspired it – its absence in Gijon led, if nothing else, to a story he has never tired of telling.
“I’d say it’s the game from my career I’m asked to talk about more than any other,” says the Dundonian.
“People who have written books about the history of the World Cup always refer back to that game because it changed everything.
“The situation that led to it was never allowed to happen again.
“Put it like this. Perhaps I was slightly naïve, because it took me a while to realise that this wasn’t the toughest game I’d ever refereed.”
Valentine, now 79 but pretty much as spritely as he was in his prime, recalls feeling something he wasn’t used to before the game – pressure.
No surprise for his first match at a World Cup, right enough. But his concern wasn’t personal – it was a matter of national pride.
“To go to the World Cup, your first game is special,” he explains.
“To stand on the field, with two teams, knowing it’s down to you to officiate what happens between them, is a big moment.
“It was probably the only game in my career up to that point where I felt big pressure. Not because of what subsequently happened, but because as I stood there I realised I wasn’t just representing myself, but I was representing Scottish refereeing.
“If I made a boo-boo, Scottish refereeing would be judged.
“So I remember standing there as the anthems were playing and thinking: ‘Gee whizz, this is a pretty big occasion’.
“That’s why it took a while for me to realise that there wasn’t much tackling going on.
“It was like a pre-match warm-up – lots of pass, pass, pass, but without any real progress.
“The final straw came when the ball went out of play for a corner kick before bouncing back towards me.
“I picked it up and threw it over to the corner flag, and one of the German players said to me: ‘Take it easy, ref!’”
With furious Algerian fans in the stadium demanding action, the glare of the world’s attention, initially at least, was focused on the man in black.
But even in the moment, Valentine had a cool enough head to see the full picture – and he was rewarded with another game in Spain.
“The Algeria fans in the stadium were trying to climb the fences,” he recounts.
“They knew they were on the plane home and the police had a hell of job trying to keep them in stands.
“That was probably more exciting than the game!
“Some have suggested I should have done something, but they never say what.
“The referee in football is not the same as in boxing, for instance. I couldn’t stop the game, get the two captains over and tell them: ‘Look, you’re going to have to tackle a bit harder here!’.
“That wasn’t my job. It was my job to deal with what happened, which, as it happened, wasn’t a lot, particularly after West Germany scored their goal.”
The big talking points in Russia have been mundane by comparison.
VAR has been the main issue.
It wouldn’t have helped Valentine in Gijon all those years ago. But as a weekly attender of games across Scotland, he has watched more than enough football to see how, properly employed, it could become a powerful tool in the refereeing arsenal.
“Generally speaking it’s an improvement,” he says. “It’s 100% perfect for things like offside, where there is no interpretation.
“It’s a bit more messy where interpretation comes into the decision-making process.
“But it’s early days yet, and I’m sure by the time the next tournament comes around, they will have tightened things up a bit.”
If Bob’s day in Gijon, and the changes that followed, are anything to go by, he might just be right.