What do the the ANC, the Nazi party, Mussolini & the Argentinian military junta of the 70s have in common? They all have used hosting sporting events, as a distraction and propaganda tools...

Thread

When Argentina hosted the 1978 Football World Cup, the country was under a vicious military junta (committee) headed by Jorge Videla, which was accused of "disappearing" 30000 people, mainly trade unionists, students, journalists, artists, churchgoers and other activists...

Government agents also picked up intellectuals, artists, teachers and even professional athletes, and they would never to be seen or heard from again

Many of the victims, violently kidnapped in front of their own families, were pregnant women whose babies were taken, were packed into military airplanes and thrown into the Rio de la Plata river to drown and sink into the icy water

At the time of the 1978 WC, Argentina was under martial law and a curfew, its Congress (parliament) was closed and all trade unions suspended during what was called the Dirty War. Inflation was at 300%, and armed opposition was, winning popular support at home and abroad

Videla's military junta aimed to use the World Cup to "polish" the dictatorship's image after accusations of torture, murder and disappearances started appearing in the world press. The coup leaders saw the WC as a perfect way to "wash away their guilt and reinvent themselves"

"Holding the tournament will show the world that Argentina is a trustworthy country, capable of carrying out huge projects," advised military Admiral Emilio Massera. "And it will help push back against the criticism that is raining on us from around the world".

Even with warnings that hosting the tournament would bankrupt the country, the military junta saw hosting the tournament as "a matter of national interest".

At the opening ceremony, a military band announced General Videla’s entrance in the stadium, followed by a blessing from the Pope delivered by the Catholic Cardinal of Argentina, then hundreds of white doves were released into the air

Argentina ended up winning the tournament after some controversy: they needed to beat Peru by 4 goals or more in order to better Brazil's goal difference and face the Netherlands in the final. They won 6-0

According to Bermudez, Peru's military dictator at the time, Videla had threatened Peru's players after a photo showed the Argentinian dictator in the player's dressing room minutes before kick-off. "Something happened and it seems that some money changed hands" said Bermudez

This is what one of Peru's players said about the dressing room visit: "His presence in the dressing room was terrible. Some of the younger players stopped changing to listen to him." By the way, Videl was accompanied by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger

It is not clear whether Peru were bribed or cowed into submission, however "something happened". However, even though Videl attended eight matches during the tournament, Peru’s was the only dressing room the general visited. He never even visited Argentina's players

There were allegations that one of Peru’s defenders, received an anonymous phone call offering him $50K to throw the match and was in the starting lineup despite an injury, and that a group of Peru's players were offered $250K to let in goals

There were also rumours that Videl agreed to arrest and imprison Peruvian dissidents hiding in Argentina, give $50 million to high officials in Peru and deliver a massive grain shipment to Peru, all in exchange for a victory

The Argentina-Peru match itself was characterised by a very sub-par quality of play, a lack of energy exhibited by Peru’s players and questionable refereeing, which made Argentina's victory and place in the final all the more easy

In the final against the Netherlands, which Argentina won 3-1, the Dutch players left the field and did not return to collect their silver medals.

In any case the Argentinian people were united in celebration. "Stronger Together"

Anyway, South Africa. By the early 90s South Africa desperately needed a "miracle" - "to heal the wounds of Apartheid". What better way than hosting the rugby WC and get Black South Africans supporting the historically racist institution called the Springboks "winning" the WC?

It cannot be a coincidence that these Springboks have won the the tournament at very convenient times for the South African government, the ANC in particular: In 1995, Mandela needed to convince the impoverished Black masses that everything was well, that whites were alright

In 2007, Thabo Mbeki was in the midst of grappling to hold on to power against strong backlash from his own party. A few months before the ANC's elective conference where he was running for a third term, he manages to be seen lifting the rugby WC and seen as a "uniting force"

In 2019, with racial tensions at an all time high in South Africa with the radical Boer right wing spreading propaganda of a white genocide internationally, the Springboks have a Black captain, win the World Cup & have a dubiously "Black" president of the country there to lift it

Lastly, Bafana Bafana: well, they failed to qualify for Afcon in 1994 in a group with Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mauritius, winning 1 out of 6 matches and losing 4. Then they get awarded the right to host the tournament 2 years later...

For some inexplicable reason, without having played competitive football in 2 and half years, with pretty much the same players that flopped in '93, Bafana manage to blaze through the field to lift the trophy with Mandela standing right there next to a white captain. The optics!

It could all jut be strong coincidence, however history and experience teaches that nothing is ever left to chance. The ruling class will never leave an opportunity to use propaganda against the people in the hands of chance.

There's also the 2010 WC, but that's another story...