The Football Tragic

With the 1974 World Cup over, the players got back to the grind of club competition. For many of the winning West German side, that also meant a defence of the European Cup with Bayern Munich.

The Bavarians had, in most critics' estimation, been very lucky to win the competition in 1974. They had needed penalties to get past modest Atvidaberg of Sweden in the first round, before being given a rough ride by their East German neighbours Dynamo Dresden in the second. To top it off, they needed a last-minute equaliser to take the final to a replay, which they duly won.

Their first opponents in the 1974/75 competition would be the East German champions Magdeburg, featuring many of the players who had inflicted West Germany's only defeat on the road to World Cup triumph - including the goalscorer in that game, Jürgen Sparwasser.

The first leg, in Munich, began with a shock. In the very first minute, the lively Martin Hoffmann advanced down the left and fired in a cross which deflected off the Bayern fullback Johnny Hansen into his own net. A stunned Bayern failed to make headway against a determined Magdeburg for the rest of the half, and just before the interval Magdeburg scored a second, in fine style. When Klaus Wunder got himself tackled trying to dribble out of defence, the ball ultimately broke to Sparwasser on the left. One-on-one with the famous Beckenbauer, he utterly embarrassed Der Kaiser with a deft turn which left him sprawling, before firing the ball home with his right foot.

The defending champions looked down and out. But, as countless teams have had cause to reflect over the years, the Germans are never so dangerous as when they are two goals down. In this case, however, their recovery was aided by two highly dubious goals in reply.

Beckenbauer came forward with more regularity and purpose after the break, and Bayern started to look more dangerous. Six minutes after the restart, Uli Hoeness collided with the Magdeburg captain Manfred Zapf in the box. It looked a 50-50 challenge, with Hoeness in the wrong if anyone was. But the Bayern player writhed theatrically, and a penalty was given, Gerd Muller dispatching it neatly.

Then Beckenbauer, coming forward again - as the East German commentator remarked, it was remiss of Magdeburg not to have detailed a man to mark him on his forays upfield - played in Muller, who pivoted to beat his man and score. "Typical Muller-goal," remarked the commentator. It was indeed, but for one important detail: Der Bomber quite clearly controlled the ball with his arm when turning his man.

The momentum was now with the home side, and they scored a third six minutes later, a fine run and cross from Hoeness being turned into his own net by the unfortunate Detlef Enge. Sparwasser headed against the post near the close, while Beckenbauer, still being given the run of the country, forced a fine save out of the Magdeburg keeper Ulrich Schulze with a long-range shot.

A painful defeat for Magdeburg, and their heads still appeared to be down for the home leg. This time, alert to the danger posed by Sparwasser, Bayern left nothing to chance, giving the job of tight-marking him to their dependable hatchet man, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck. Bayern went 2-0 up with a pair of superb goals, Muller as always providing the finishing touch to the lead-up work, in this case mostly from Hoeness. Again it was the Hoffmann-Sparwasser pairing that provided Magdeburg with their consolation, Hoffmann's fine shot rebounding off the bar for Sparwasser to head in. 

A tie that had begun so brightly for Magdeburg had ended with a whimper. Yet Magdeburg had proven that they could fight their corner at this level. And with plenty of young players in their ranks, the future looked bright for East Germany's first European trophy winners.

Magdeburg's golden days didn't last, however. Crucial to their success had been their much-loved coach, Heinz Krügel. Gradually, Krügel began to fall foul of the officials of the East German Communist Party, who considered him a political liability. Eventually, in 1976, he was removed by party fiat from his position as Magdeburg head coach. It was a lesson in GDR sporting politics which Sparwasser would not forget.

As his club and international career drew to a close, Sparwasser qualified as a sporting trainer and was engaged as an assistant coach at Magdeburg. He had no love for the communist authorities, and had decided to fly under the political radar as much as possible, particularly with the example of Krügel in mind. He became more and more interested in youth development, and planned to undertake a doctoral thesis in sports science, with an interest in reforming the GDR's school sports system. 

But the authorities had other ideas: they wanted him to take charge of Magdeburg. He refused several times, and each time his political situation became more difficult. In his 2010 autobiography, he wrote bitterly of the district commissioner who had also been his old coach Krügel's nemesis. "[He] unscrupulously destroyed the professional career of my coach, and now my own, and this ultimately meant an uncertain future for me and my family."

Family, indeed, was central to Sparwasser's life. He was devoted to his wife Christa, a childhood sweetheart, and their daughter had already run into trouble with the authorities as well. 

The Sparwassers began to talk about escaping to the West. And the chance presented itself in unexpected fashion. To be concluded in Part 4.

# posted by Mike Salter @ 9:59 AM