10 Unknown Facts About The FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup has just started. So it's the perfect time to brush up on the weird and wonderful facts behind this competition.
10. FIFA President Sepp Blatter was once head of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders.
9. The Italian Vice President of FIFA, Ottorino Barassi, hid the World Cup under his bed during WW2. He didn't want Nazi troops to steal it.
8. At World Cup 1990, each UAE player who scored was given a Rolls Royce!
7. Before the first finale in 1930, the referee ordered 60,000 fans to be searched. Security found 1600 revolvers in the crowd.
6. The 1950 World Cup remains the only one not to have a deciding knock-out final. Some Brazil fans committed suicide after they lost against Uruguay.
5. Saddam Hussein's son Uday tortured the Iraqi team when they didn't qualify. Players were jailed for missing training.
4. Colombian Andres Escobar scored an own goal at World Cup '94. He was later murdered by gangsters who lost money betting on Colombia doing well in the competition.
3. Qatar is spending $220 billion to host the World Cup 2022 - 4x more than the preceding 5 cups combined.
2. N. Korean fans at World Cup 2010 had their applause orchestrated by a conductor.
1. A World Cup qualifying match sparked a war between El Salvador & Honduras in 1969. The Football War led to the loss of 2,000 lives & created 100,000+ refuges.
