But, as it had so many times before, football found a way to overcome the conflict, with reports suggesting that Sweden sought, and were granted, safe passage by Britain in order to travel to Berlin for the game.īefore kick-off, in front of 98,000 spectators in the Olympiastadion, the Swedish players lined up with their arms by their sides as the Germans offered Nazi salutes. The match was particularly controversial because of the Sweden’s continued neutrality in the midst of an ever-escalating war.
They were fully expected to brush Sweden aside in a similarly emphatic manner. With considerable incentive to succeed, the German side recaptured the UFWC title in May 1942, beating Hungary 5-3, before comfortably seeing off Bulgaria (3-0) and Romania (7-0). Scorers: Lehner, Klingler (Germany) Nyberg, Carlsson, Martensson (Sweden)Īfter losing 2-1 to Switzerland on Hitler’s birthday a furious Nazi regime warned its players that if they played badly they would be dropped from the squad and sent to the Eastern Front, where they would face almost certain death.
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