An ancient purpose, a risky wager, whisky smuggled beyond the Iron Curtain, and a celebrity striker banished with the aid of mystery police from his countrywide team just earlier than its best moment. An impressive collection of occasions was set in movement after East Germany’s 1-zero victory over West Germany in the 1974 World Cup. It became the only football fit performed among the nations; two ideological opposites were partitioned following the Second World War. After the fall of Nazi Germany, the Communist East became a satellite country of the Soviet Union. The capitalist West comprised occupation zones administered by
America, Britain, and France. Until 1964, they competed in the Olympics because of the United Team of Germany. However, the East German-built Berlin Wall erected three years later became a signal of the diminishing political warm temperature. While Erich Honecker took over East Germany’s most straightforward party in 1971, he introduced that unification with the West became not an objective. For
years, the East Germans rejected West German overtures to play soccer. It becomes seen as an excessive amount of danger – there was a mile additional hazard of defeat than in sports, including swimming and weightlifting. But in a World Cup, there was no preference. “The officers have been hoping it wouldn’t be a shame,” says Hans-Jurgen Kreische, a softly-spoken former Dynamo Dresden and East Germany striker who performed within the landmark recreation at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion on 22 June 1974.
“The gamers failed to sense any stress, though. Conversely, we had been searching ahead to compare ourselves to the West. “It changed into something we time and again strived for. However, the government constantly prevented.” In the West, Germany aspect has been captain Franz Beckenbauer and prolific striker Gerd Muller. They have been the host kingdom and the European champions. No surprise Hans Apel was in an assured temper a month into his new process as the United States’ finance minister and a spectator at the institution-level match. “I changed into quite positive we’d beat them at least 3-zero,” he said, talking earlier than his
death in 2011. “I wasn’t excited; I wasn’t nervous. We have been excellent at football, and nobody knew anything about them.” The suit grew to become out quite in another way. Controlling a bouncing ball and slicing via the West Germany defense, Magdeburg striker Jurgen Sparwasser struck with 12 minutes left to comfy victory for East Germany. According to Kreische, the game becomes played in friendly circumstances. Nothing like a derby between enemy states. Afterward, he and Apel might have a fateful come across.
“Following the very last whistle, all of the players swapped shirts, although we did not do it at the pitch because formally it was forbidden,” Kreische says. “But we got on very well. We spoke the same language, after all. It was a hard, however fair warfare.” The win gave East Germany a pinnacle spot within the organization, which virtually worked in West Germany’s favor. It supposed they prevented Brazil, Argentina, and the Netherlands from inside the
second institution level, touchdown amongst Poland, Sweden, and Yugoslavia. The circus moved on. An exodus of enthusiasts, players, and newshounds headed to their next venues. For Apel, it was a go back to the actual world of the presidency within the West German capital, Bonn, through Dusseldorf. Kreische becomes at the level flight en route to Hanover, where protecting champions Brazil lies. The two guys sat after each other. “He requested me who I became,” Apel recalled. “‘I’m the Finance Minister of the Federal Republic,’ I said, and he
laughed, so I showed him my identity card. He turned into astonished, maybe even a bit afraid. “I told him that one factor is clear: West Germany will never win the World Cup. “But he told me, ‘No, that is wrong, you’ll be the world champion.’ “‘You’re simply speaking nonsense,’ I stated. ‘Perhaps you’re too well-mannered to tell me how bad this crew is. Let’s make a guess. Five bottles of whisky.” Kreische did not have a way to shop for whisky or send it across the border, so they agreed that the most effective Apel might need to pay up if
he misplaced it. The guess was set, and Kreische’s profession might take an irreversible turn. West Germany did cross on to win the World Cup, coming from a goal down to overcome an extraordinary Netherlands side 2-1 in the very last in Munich. East Germany had been eliminated from their intimidating second institution, losing to the Dutch and Brazil but handling a 1-1 draw with Argentina. Once he returned to Bonn after the match, in July 1974, Apel asked his secretary to shop for him a few bottles of precise whiskey. “I telephoned the ambassador of East Germany in Bonn, and I said to him, ‘You will get five bottles of whisky, and you will receive delivery they please to Mr. Kreische.'” This is how a diplomatic bag containing numerous complications worth exceptional scotch crossed one of the most touchy and perilous borders insideglobelobal. “I changed into shock to get hold of it before everything because I didn’t sincerely know Apelin in any
respect,” says Kreische. “In Dresden, we couldn’t acquire West German TV, so we were not properly knowledgeable. Many of us, including me, did not even recognize who he was. “And it became surely forbidden to have any contact with every person in West Germany. “But I turned into allowed to keep the bottles. I shared them with my buddies. It became straight whisky. Black and White.” And there, for some weeks, the problem rested. Until a letter reached Apel’s office. “I was given a peculiar typed letter,” Apel said. “Kreische later told me it had been written under the name of the game service, and he needed to signal it.” That
secret carrier was the infamous and pervasive Stasi, who infiltrated each part of East German society. They recruited informants, and informants were sent in at the informants. It could have been impossible for Kreischer to recollect no longer the capabilities of taking the whisky. “I turned into annoying. I became aware that a person could word this affair, but I wasn’t precisely afraid,” he says. “I had any such excessive role at Dynamo Dresden that I could not surely consider being sacked or expelled from the expert sport.” He
becomes incorrect. The whisky and a letter that Apel sent with the gift devastated Kreische’s career. “In my letter, there stood a sentence which created extra issues for him,” Apel said. “It read, ‘I desire that we can meet again soon. This created the effect that there could have been more than soccer talk and a simple bet.” 1976, East Germany won the soccer gold medal at the Montreal Olympics. But Kreische turned into absent. He observed their historic exploits from Dresden as a substitute. “That year, Dynamo Dresden
was the pinnacle team of the USA. We gained the league title and the cup, and I became the top scorer with 24 dreams,” he says. “After I read my Stasi report in 2004, I now understand that it becomes due to this guess that I wasn’t taken. “The file said: ‘Sportsman Kreische isn’t always applicable to symbolize East Germany at the Olympic Games.” Two years later, at the age of 30, Kreische retired. But no matter what is lacking in an Olympic gold
medal, he is very pleased with his contribution to East German soccer history and his 50 caps for his use of a. “Why have I mourned or regretted something that passed off so long in the past? “Since then, I met Apel, and we became honestly correct buddies. He regretted that everything had harmed me a lot. “That I may be a part of that 1974 World Cup was overwhelming. And showing we ought to play suitable soccer on the alternative side of Germany became awesome.
