On the death of Antonio Rattín: The father of all send-offs

Antonio Rattín, the Argentine football captain whose dramatic protest in the 1966 World Cup quarter-final against England became legendary, has died at 89 in Buenos Aires. The match remains one of the most contentious in football history, particularly in Argentina, where it is still discussed decades later.

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I had seen that this German gentleman whistled everything in favor of England. I therefore showed him my captain's armband – and demanded a translator for minutes to get explanations about his behavior.

Rattín was sent off in the 35th minute of the second half of the quarter-final match. At the time, there were no red cards, so the referee, Rudolf Kreitlein, verbally instructed Rattín to leave the field. Rattín, believing the German referee favored England, demanded a translator to explain the decision. When none was provided, he refused to leave, eventually staging a prolonged protest on the field, including sitting on the Queen's red carpet and crumpling a corner flag bearing the Union Jack.

The incident escalated with fans throwing beer cans and Rattín fleeing the field. England's manager, Alf Ramsey, infamously called the Argentine players "animals," a label that was eagerly adopted by the British tabloid press. In Argentina, however, the reaction was reversed, with Rattín hailed as a hero.

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Animals

This match is often contrasted with the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England, which featured Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal and a spectacular solo effort. The 1986 game was seen by many in Argentina as a form of footballing revenge for the Falklands War, known as the Malvinas in Spanish-speaking countries. Rattín's protest, twenty years earlier, had already strained the relationship between the two nations.

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Bravo, Arge