World Cup Football

England, 1966

The Jules Rimet World Cup trophy was stolen while on exhibition in London just before kick-off of the 1966 finals. The name of the mongrel dog who sniffed out the stolen trophy from its hiding place under a garden hedge in Norwood in South London was called 'Pickles'. His owner David Corbett collected a GBP6,000 reward, and the man who had demanded a GBP15,000 ransom for the return of the trophy was jailed for two years.
The 1966 opening match between England and Uruguay was delayed as seven English players had left their identity cards at the hotel. A police motor cyclist was dispatched to collect the identity cards from the hotel.
A mascot was first used in World Cup in 1966. The first World Cup mascot was a lion-like boy called Willie used for the England 1966 World Cup.
Drug testing first introduced in World Cup finals in 1966. Players banned after failing in drug testing include Haiti's Ernest Jean-Joseph (1974), Scotland's Willie Johnston (1978) and Argentina's Diego Maradona (1994). Jean-Joseph claimed he was beaten by some Haitian officials before being flown home in disgrace.
In the Final, England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time.