Wednesday, June 09, 2021
Africa's Pioneers, Part 1
By 1978, the reputation of African teams in international football was at a low ebb.
The early history of African participation in the postwar World Cups was one of infighting, mass walkouts and humiliating play-off defeats. It was only from 1970 onwards that the oldest continent was allotted a full place at the 16-team event, and results in the Mexican and West German tournaments led many in world football to believe that even this single spot was scarcely deserved.
The Moroccans of 1970 actually went ahead against a disjointed West Germany in their opening game, but once Helmut Schoen belatedly added some width to the German side with the introduction of Jürgen Grabowski, the Moroccans were overrun. A 3-0 defeat to a Teofilo Cubillas-inspired Peru followed, and their final match, a dead rubber, ended in a 1-1 draw. The Atlas Lions were hardly disgraced, but had not excelled either.
It was with the performance of Zaire in 1974 that the nadir was reached. Not only did the African representatives in West Germany ship 14 goals without reply, but their appearance at the event only served to reinforce all the pernicious stereotypes of African football: the rows between players and corrupt officials, the bizarre hangers-on, and the on-field buffoonery, including the infamous Ilunga Mwepu free-kick incident (it was later revealed that the defender was actually trying to get himself sent off, as a protest against the Zairean officials).
No surprise, then, that the Tunisians of 1978 were rated as 1000-1 outsiders for the event, and the Guardian described Tunisia as being "at the bottom of everyone's list" of contenders. But this was a new type of African team, and their manager, Abdelmajid Chetali, was a new breed of manager.
Chetali deserves pride of place in this story. An experienced former international, he was the first local coach to lead an African team to a postwar World Cup - the previous two teams had been managed by the former Yugoslav international Blagoje Vidinic - and he was young enough, at 38, to have played with some of the elder statesmen of the team. More importantly, he was no naive provincial: he had obtained coaching qualifications in Germany, and followed European football closely. The World Cup in Argentina would prove him to be an astute tactician, and an inspiring presence on the bench.
The side he had built, made up largely of amateurs, was a compact and well-organised one. Favouring the short pass in midfield, they made up for their lack of width with the upfield excursions of the two adventurous fullbacks, Ali Kaabi on the left and Mokhtar Dhouib on the right. In midfield, creativity and penetration were provided by the gifted young left-footed playmaker Tarek Dhiab, and the tough, incisive Temime Lahzami, the only full professional in the side, who had plied his trade in Saudi Arabia. Chetali had clearly been inspired by the whole-team offside press adopted by the Dutch in the 1974 World Cup, and his side executed the manoeuvre with admirable precision.
Tunisia's form going into the World Cup hardly inspired confidence. Thrashed 4-0 at home by the Dutch, they played a final preparatory friendly against France in May, losing 2-0. The result would have been in line with most pundits' expectations, but shrewd observers may have noted that the Tunisians held their own in the first half, that France only scored once several substitutes had arrived, and that Christian Dalger's goal should have been disallowed for handball.
Another sidelight of the match against France was the appearance of a young, previously untried goalkeeper, Mokhtar Naili; and here we encounter the second individual hero of the Tunisia 1978 story. For 15 years, the veteran Sadok Sassi Attouga had been the first choice in Tunisia's goal, but an injury just prior to the big event in Argentina forced Chetali to give this tyro his moment in the sun. The young Naili would repay his manager's faith, and then some. Forced by Chetali's offside-trap tactics to be alert and mobile throughout, the young keeper would emulate Holland's goalkeeper of 1974, Jan Jongbloed, who was always willing to race outside of his area when the offside trap was sprung.
In Argentina, Tunisia were paired with West Germany, the reigning champions, Poland, the bronze medal winners from 1974, and World Cup regulars Mexico. In a press conference prior to the event, Chetali said that his team "couldn't expect to win anything", and spoke highly of the Carthage Eagles' first opponents, Mexico.
It was to be a game that made history. More in Part 2.
