1990 FIFA World Cup

• 1. Host Selection And Politics

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  The vote to choose the hosts of the 1990 tournament took place on the 19th of May 1984 in Zürich, Switzerland. FIFA Executive Committee members chose Italy ahead of their only rival bid from the USSR by a margin of 11 votes to 5. This decision made Italy the second nation to host two World Cup tournaments after Mexico had done so with their 1986 staging. The Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympic Games was announced just before this critical vote and speculated to be a major factor behind Italy winning decisively. The Soviet state media responded by accusing FIFA of political corruption and blamed American sponsors like Coca-Cola for influencing the outcome. FIFA President João Havelange denied these claims while the Soviet Union maintained that the organization's decisions were politically motivated rather than based on merit.

• 2. Venues And Infrastructure

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  Twelve stadiums across twelve Italian cities hosted matches during the tournament. The Stadio San Nicola in Bari and Turin's Stadio delle Alpi stood as completely new venues opened specifically for the event. Of the twelve stadiums used, only four had been utilized for the 1934 FIFA World Cup including San Siro, Luigi Ferraris, Comunale of Florence, and Renato Dall'Ara. Most existing venues underwent extensive improvement programs forcing many club tenants to relocate temporarily. Additional seating and roofs were added to most stadia while running tracks were removed and new pitches laid due to structural constraints requiring virtual rebuilds. Total construction costs exceeded original estimates reaching over £550 million or approximately $935 million. Rome's Stadio Olimpico proved the most expensive project overall while Udine's Stadio Friuli cost the least to redevelop despite being the newest existing stadium at fourteen years old.

• 3. Tactical Controversies

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  The tournament generated a record low goals-per-game average of 2.21 which still stands today alongside a then-record 16 red cards handed out. In the knockout stage many teams played defensively for 120 minutes intending to rely on penalty shoot-outs rather than risk going forward. Two exceptions emerged as eventual champions West Germany and hosts Italy who won three of their four knockout matches in normal time. Losing finalists Argentina scored only five goals throughout the entire tournament representing a record low for any finalist. Largely as a result of this trend IFAB introduced the back-pass rule before the 1994 tournament to make it harder for teams to waste time by repeatedly passing backward to goalkeepers. Three points would be awarded for victories instead of two to further encourage attacking play and increase spectator interest in the sport.

• 4. Cameroon's Historic Run

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  Cameroon reached the quarter-finals where they were narrowly defeated by England after opening with a shock victory over reigning champions Argentina. Their success was fired by Roger Milla a 38-year-old forward who came out of international retirement following a personal request from Cameroonian President Paul Biya. Milla scored four goals and his flamboyant celebrations made him one of the tournament's biggest stars while taking Cameroon to the last eight. Most of Cameroon's squad consisted of players who competed in France's premier football league Ligue 1 since French is an officially spoken language in Cameroon. They went further than any African nation had managed previously until Morocco reached the semi-final in 2022. FIFA subsequently decided to allocate the CAF qualifying zone an additional place for the next World Cup tournament recognizing their achievement as African football's biggest yet on the world stage.

• 5. The Final Match Analysis

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  The final between West Germany and Argentina took place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on the 8th of July 1990. In the 65th minute Argentina's Pedro Monzon became the first player sent off in a World Cup Final for fouling Jürgen Klinsmann. The only goal arrived in the 85th minute when Mexican referee Edgardo Codesal awarded a dubious penalty to West Germany after Roberto Sensini fouled Rudi Völler leading to Argentinian protests. Andreas Brehme converted the spot kick to settle the contest with a 1, 0 scoreline providing another first where Argentina failed to score in a World Cup Final. West German manager Franz Beckenbauer became the first man to both captain and manage a World Cup winning team while his side won their third title making them the most successful nation at that time alongside Italy and Brazil.

• 6. Broadcasting And Technology

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  The 1990 World Cup stands as one of the most watched events in television history garnering an estimated 26.69 billion non-unique viewers over its duration. This was the first World Cup officially recorded and transmitted in HDTV through a joint effort of Italian broadcaster RAI and Japan's NHK. At the time it remained the most watched World Cup in history regarding non-unique viewers until later editions surpassed it including 1994 and 2002 competitions. The huge success of this broadcasting model had a lasting impact on how sports were presented globally. The tournament also featured memorable moments like Luciano Pavarotti performing Nessun dorma during the first ever joint concert of The Three Tenors on July 7 shortly before the third place play-off which included the host team.