THE biggest plans for national celebration turned into weeping, wailing and mourning when the FIFA World Cup resumed in 1950 after a hiatus of twelve years due to the Wars in Europe.
Brazil, chosen to host the 4th World Cup competition was very ambitious and full of expectations. A brand new Stadium with a capacity of 200,000, the biggest in the World, was still not fully completed when the teams started to arrive for the Tournament.
The three-tier edifice named after the little nearby river Maracana in the state of Rio de Janeiro still holds the record for the largest crowd to attend a World Cup football game, 194,000 watched in despair on July 16th when Brazil lost Uruguay 2-1 in the decisive game for the title of World football supremacy.
This Tournament could best be described as ‘boycotting and upsetting’ even before a ball was kicked and in the end only 13 teams participated. India who qualified refused to take their place after FIFA told them that they cannot play bare-footed, Germany was banned by FIFA and Czechoslovakia and Turkey also qualified but opted out.
France who failed to qualify was given an invitation and then turned it down after the Brazilian Federation did not heed to their request and Argentina, still bitter, did not attend. Alas the English arrived.
For some strange reason or reasons the Cup did not have a grand Championship game to determine the winner, the only one time in the history of World Cup. There were two groups of four, one of three and one of two, how puzzling when may be the more logical thing would have been to have three groups of three and one of four, but that’s the dictatorial way of the FIFA.
On 24th June, before 82,000 excited spectators the Brazilian National football team took to the pitch at the Maracana Stadium and were greeted by a 21 Gun Salute, wild fire Crackers and thousands of Pigeons released into the air.
Their opponents, Mexico, rather sensibly, waited until fifteen minutes of the excitement and glamour before they took to the pitch. The home side did not disappoint as they comfortably, hardly working up a sweat, put away the Mexicans 4-0. Ademir led with a double and there was a piece for Jair and the powerful Black Baltazar.
In Sao Paolo the unbeaten run of the defending ‘back to back’ Champions Italy came to an end  the day after the opening match as Sweden won 3-2 to end Italy’s hope of going 9 games undefeated in World Cup action. There were also wins for Yugoslavia 3-0 over Switzerland, England humbled Chile 2-0 and Spain put away USA 3-1.
The results of the rest of the group matches provided one of the biggest upset in World Cup football when the USA, thanks to a deft header by Haitian born Larry Gaetjens eight minutes from lemon time beat the outstretched hands of the English goalie for the winner. They suffered the same way against Spain who won the group easily, while Chile got some consolation with a 5-2 hammering of the US.
Uruguay had only one game against Bolivia which turned out to be an 8-0 thrashing and a most welcome return for the inaugural Champs who sat out the two subsequent Tournaments played in Europe.
Sweden played to a 2-2 draw with Paraguay but still topped the group and Italy went home after their 2-0 win over Paraguay. Meantime the Hosts continued to display their confidence and entertaining football skills, beating Yugoslavia 2-0 and being held to a 2-2 draw with the Swiss. Mexico ‘s miserable run continued with losses to Yugoslavia by a 4-1 margin and the Swiss 2-1.
The four group winners then competed in a ‘Round-robin Play-offs’ to arrive at the Champion.  Brazil made quite a sensational start on July 9t with a most humiliating destruction of the Scandanavians by a handsome 7-1 in front of 139,000 screaming fans at the Maracana.
Ademir led all scorers with four while Chico had two and Maneca scored a Penalty five minutes from the end of the no-contest. In contrast only 45,000 watched Uruguay and Spain played to a 2-2 tie in Sao Paolo on the same day.
Four days later the Brazilians were still in a no-nonsense mood and this time the number of fans to enter the Maracana was recorded at 153,000. There was no respite or mercy for the Spaniards as the hosts proved awesome with another exhilarating performance, winning 6-1.
A double each by Ademir and Chico and one from Jair and Zizinho left the side and fans with high hopes for the grand show down with neighbours Uruguay who could only draw a mere 8,000 fans in Sao Paolo in their 3-2 win against Sweden.
Sweden left the tournament on a winning note and in 3rd position after putting away Spain 3-1 in Sao Polo with 11,000 in attendance.
The biggest moment in the history of Brazilian football had finally arrived and the preparation for a grand celebration were made –the mega carnival float was set to go after the victory, half a million T shirts with slogans saluting the inevitable win had already been sold, the front pages of the newspapers had already been printed and the players were presented with gold watches, inscribed at the back ‘For the World Champions’.
Just before the game the Governer of the state of Rio in his address to the crowd emphasized the supreme confidence of the nation when he stated ‘You Brazilians who I consider to be victors of the Tournament….you players in less than a few hours will be acclaimed Champions by millions of your compatriots ……you have no equals in the terrestrial hemisphere….you are so superior to every other competitor ….you whom I salute as conquerors.’
In spite of taking the lead after two minutes of the start of the second half through Friaca the home side failed to match the resilience of Captain Obdulio Varela in defence and Roque Maspoli who was outstanding in goal.
The Brazilian fearsome trio of Ademir, Jair and Zizinho were thwarted by the brilliance of Maspoli and after soaking up the pressure an unmarked Juan Schiffiano produced the equalizer with a perfect finish as he met an equally well measured right side cross from Alcides Chiggia in the 66th minute.
The minutes ticked away and the near two hundred thousand fans waited for the moment when Brazil would regain the lead. It never came as with 11 minutes to go Chiggia blasted the winner past the agile Barbosa and a nation was silenced into submission.
When the English referee George Reader blew the final whistle it was Uruguay, World Champions again and South America’s biggest country was sent into deep silence. It was referred to as the worst tragedy in the history of Brazil.
FIFA President Jules Rimet who the trophy was now named after quietly handed it to Varela while he was left with his speech in his pocket that heaped praises on Brazil the predicted champs.