FIFA World Cup

Challenge 4-Star

1966

Group
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The official ball of the 1966 World Cup was Challenge 4-Star produced by Slazenger. The ball consisted of 24 rectangular panels turned in different directions. Challenge 4-Star had 3 different colors: white, dark yellow and red-orange. Although the most commonly used version was white.

FACTS ABOUT THIS BALL

  • England was chosen as the host country of the Championship in 1966 in honor of the centenary of the standardization of football in England. The key episode of the whole tournament happened in the final. After an Englishman Jeff Hurst hit the German goal, the ball hit the crossbar and landed on the goal line. The referee of the match was not sure that the goal had taken place and turned to the Soviet linesman Tofik Bahramov, who assured his colleague that the ball was in the goal. Disputes about the fairness of that decision continue to this day. English fans are confident in the correctness of Bahramov's judgment, and German fans are firmly convinced of his bias. In his memoirs, the referee admitted that he did not see the moment when the ball touched the goal line. The England national team won 4-2 - won its first and so far only World Cup.

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