Dear reader,
Like many sports, part of the fun of football is the folklore surrounding it. Fans love to bring the background of players, the history of rivalry between teams, and even draw political comparisons, to portray the importance of the games.
Some of these stories are not about the games themselves, but are fascinating nonetheless. That’s the puzzling case of the original World Cup trophy, known as the Jules Rimet, which was stolen twice, never to be found again in Brazil.
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Best regards,
The Brazilian Report Team
Saved by Pickles the dog
Although the trophy is known for being lost in Brazil, it was stolen once before in London. The theft happened in 1966, just before England hosted (and won) the tournament.
On March 20, even with specialized security, the trophy went missing. Two security officers interviewed by the BBC said they did not see anything suspicious. But soon enough, a man identifying him as Jackson sent threats to the police, saying he would melt the trophy down to sell if he did not receive a ransom of GBP 15,000.
An undercover Scotland Yard investigator went to meet with Jackson, who turned out to be Edward Betchley, a former soldier and known petty thief. He was arrested but claimed he did not know where the trophy was, and that he was only working as a middleman for someone who went by the name Pole.
Despite all the police work, the one who saved the day was… a dog. Pickles (picture below) and his owner David Corbett were taking a walk in south London on March 27, when Pickles started to sniff a package wrapped in newspaper. Surprisingly enough, it was the Jules Rimet trophy, nestled under a bush. Pickles became an international hero and media sensation, but the real culprit for the theft was never found.
Bad karma
They say our words can come back to haunt us, and indeed that was the case of Brazil. When the cup was stolen in London, a Brazilian sports official affirmed the theft was “a sacrilege that would never be committed in Brazil.” Well, you already know what happens next.
After Brazil's victory at the World Cup in 1970, the Jules Rimet was permanently awarded to the country, as a gift for becoming the first nation to be a three-time champion. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) decided to display the cup publicly at its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, protecting it with a bulletproof glass.
In 1983, however, the Jules Rimet was once again gone, but this time for good. The official version is that the trophy was melted down and sold, but the real whereabouts of the stolen trophy was never known, even after four people were arrested for the crime.
The disappearance of the trophy was also a demonstration of the CBF’s lack of caution. According to the police investigation, although protected by impermeable glass, the frame was made of wood. And, strangely, the confederation kept a replica in a safe, while the original one was exposed.
Since then, FIFA has decided to not hand the original 1974 version World Cup to the winning nations, awarding them with a replica instead.
