World Cup stunning moments: Gordon Banks is stricken

May 25, 2018

England’s goalkeeper was laid low by food poisoning before their quarter-final – during a World Cup that saw little go right

It was Friday 12 June. The previous day England, without playing at all well, had beaten Czechoslovakia 1-0 to secure second place in Group C and qualification for the quarter-finals. All four ties were to be played on the Sunday, giving the team a couple of days off. Alf Ramsey decided that there was enough slack in his schedule to allow a little downtime.

Not far from the Hilton, where England’s team was based, was the Guadalajara Country Club, a swanky golf course with tennis courts, swimming pools and swanky bar attached that apparently charged £1,500 a year – the equivalent of £19,000 today – for membership. Many English football figures, including Joe Mercer, Don Revie and a few players’ wives, had based themselves there for the tournament and the players had been demanding a chance to visit every time their coach trundled past. Finally Ramsey relented.

“As best I could I bounced up and down on my toes. I did some arm stretching and then spat into the palms of my hands ready for the expected shooting practice. [Ramsey’s assistant] Harold Shepherdson rolled a ball underarm across the lawn, like a father to a toddler. There was so little power behind the ball it only just reached me. I bent down and picked the ball up and threw it back to Alf.
‘How d’you feel?’ asked Alf.
‘OK, I think,’ I replied, wondering when the fitness test was going to begin.
‘Splendid,’ said Alf. ‘You’re playing.’”

Tags: England Football Germany Sport World Cup