BRUCE IS BACK TO UNCERTAIN FUTURE
charging over to try to sort it out, they were pointing guns at him as well.
“To this day, the whole episode just seems surreal.
“Here was the captain of England being accused of stealing a bracelet when he could afford to buy the shop. It didn’t make sense.”
The crisis appeared to have blown over when Moore and Charlton received an apology.
But a week later, England made a five-hour stopover in Bogota on their return from their other warm-up friendly in Ecuador and they went back to El Tequendama where plainclothes police burst in and arrested Moore.
“We flew on to Mexico without Bobby,” recalled
Mullery. “You could sense the anxiety among the players. Nobody knew whether he would be freed in time to play in the World Cup.”
Three days later, after a four-hour hearing before judge Peter Dorado – and a re-enactment of the ‘crime’ where Padilla’s evidence collapsed and she fled in tears – Moore was freed because there was insufficient prosecution evidence.
As he was driven to Bogota airport to rejoin Ramsey’s crusade 2,000 miles away, supportive locals chanted “Viva Bobby” in the streets.
Ramsey greeted him warmly off the plane in Mexico, and England players formed a guard of honour for him. Mullery said: “There were big crowds waiting for him outside the team hotel.
“We went up to his room, which was on maybe the 10th or 11th floor, for a cup of tea, and we could still hear all the people down in the street below.
“Bobby peeled off his shirt, leaned into the gap and threw it out of the window. There must have been 600 Mexicans fighting each other over a souvenir.
“Of course, most amazing of all was the way Bobby played at that World Cup.
“He was incredible, it was just as if nothing had happened in the build-up.”
NEWCASTLE resume training this week with boss Steve Bruce still in the dark about his longterm future at St James’ Park.
Six weeks after owner Mike Ashley agreed a £300million takeover deal with Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium, Bruce (left) has yet to hear from either party.
The Magpies report back to their Benton training complex tomorrow with Bruce expecting a full complement of players.
That includes Danny Rose, who publicly expressed doubts about the Premier League restarting next month with Covid-19 still raging.
Bruce has spoken to all his players, who have collectively agreed to phase one of Project Restart. But that could change
England squad flies to Mexico City to acclimatise to the heat and altitude ahead of their World Cup defence.
Sir Alf Ramsey’s group check into El Tequendama, the most exclusive hotel in Bogota, before their warm-up friendly against Colombia. Skipper
Bobby Moore goes into the Fuego Verde gift shop, by the lobby, to help Bobby Charlton look for a present for his wife. They had left, without buying anything, when shop assistant Clara Padilla comes into the foyer and accuses them of stealing a bracelet worth £625.
After being searched, and receiving an apology for the inconvenience, Moore and Charlton are released and both play in England’s 4-0 win against Colombia.
Assuming the storm had passed, England fly on to Ecuador and win 2-0 in their final warm-up friendly in Quito.
On a five-hour stopover in Bogota – at the same hotel – en route from
Quito to Mexico City, the
England squad is watching James Stewart western Shenandoah when police burst in and plain-clothes officers arrest Moore for alleged theft. Two FA officials stay behind in Colombia to help Moore while the squad flies on to Mexico.
Instead of being detained in a Colombian prison, Moore is held under house arrest at the home of
Colombian FA chief Alfonso Senior.
Moore appears before Justice Peter Dorado for four hours and is set free after being told there is insufficient evidence to prosecute him. In a re-enactment of the incident, Padilla’s version of events falls apart and she flees in tears.
Sir Alf Ramsey greets Moore warmly at the airport in Mexico as England’s captain flies in to join his team-mates, who form a guard of honour for him at the hotel.
England win their World Cup opener 1-0 against Romania. Moore’s performance as captain is calm and assured. once training is stepped up with more physical contact.
The Toon boss is sympathetic if anyone then drops out. He said: “Everyone is looking forward to returning, having been given guarantees that measures will make the training ground as safe as possible.
“But I appreciate everyone has their own views and are free to express them if they want.”