21 Years Of Hurt

England 1 v Italy 1 

(after extra time) 

Italy win 3-2 on Penalties 

UEFA EURO 2020 Final 

Sunday 11 July 2021 

Played at Wembley 

Twenty One years of hurt. Having lost the Unofficial Football World Championship to Romania in June 2020 at the Stad du Pays, Charleroi, this was England's fifth attempt to win back the CW Alcock Cup. But, they couldn't get past this remarkable Italian team who have now defended the UFWC a staggering eighteen times since beating the Netherlands in September 2020.

What? You thought I'd be Blogging about the EUROs? We're the Carrier Bag Firm and we are ALL OVER the Unofficial Football World Championship.

Charles William Alcock was a footballer and referee, and secretary of the English Football Association. In 1872, he arranged to send an England team to Scotland to play the first ever international match. Common sense innit. The winner's would be World Champions. Nil Nil. Celebrated wildly, as always, by our Scottish Cousins who "sent him hameward tae think again". 

A rematch was whacked into the not congested at all international calendar for March 1873 in London. May I remind you that Buckfast Tonic Wine was not concocted until 1880. And, crossbars for Scottish fans to hang off were not introduced to football until 1875.

Still, all Police leave was cancelled & Trafalgar Square was cordoned off just in case. England won 4-2. Making us Unofficial Football World Champions. Yay.

To be honest, it was no big deal at the time. But, the introduction of thermometers and hydrometers was leading to major improvements in brewing beer. Commercial refrigeration, automatic bottling and pasteurization were doing some heavy lifting. And the grandees of the Carrier Bag Firm were into their fourth pint of independently brewed Craft Ale. Bollocks was being chatted.

"What if, one day, England play someone other than Scotland?

Say, I don't know, the Netherlands Antilles or summat?

What if the team, that beat the team, that beat the team becomes Unofficial Football World Champions?

Winner. Stays. On."

"What are you on about Phil's Great Great Grandad?

It's 1873, the Netherlands Antilles won't even be a country until 1954 & will surely be disbanded by 2010 in the post-colonial era.

You're Ale Addled"

*Phil's Antecedent - muttering*

Oh do Fuck Off

In 1876, Wales had a nibble at the UFWC. But got beat 4-0 off the Scotches.

In 1884, Ireland had a go. Lost 5-0 to the Jocks.

And. Finally. We're off. Ireland beat Scotland 2-0 in 1903. The Carrier Bag Firm got the ledgers out. And, the UFWC was no longer the sole property of the England/Scotland duopoly.

But, for 37 frankly boring years, the UFWC games passed around England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales. Fuck Sake. Freshen it up. Finally, in the 99th UFWC game in 1909 at the Millenaris Sporttelep, Budapest, Hungary had a pop at England. But, they shagged it up & lost 4-2.

Another dull, same old same old 22 years ticked over. Then, 16 May 1931, the World changed forever. Hungary, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands had all played in UFWC matches but none had been able to take the title away from the British Isles’.

But, in 1931, in UFWC matchup #159, at the Hohe Warte in Vienna, Austria beat a piss poor Scottish team 5-0.

The UFWC had been unleashed to the World. 

At the height of WWII in 1942, Sweden went to Berlin & beat UFWC holders Germany in their own Lebensraum. At Wembley tonight, both England & Italy players "took the knee" in a show of solidarity against discrimination. That night in Berlin, the Swedish players also got involved in gesture politics. Refusing to give the Nazi Salute, pointedly keeping their arms by their sides against the wishes of their German hosts. Politics has always been in sport.

Post War, England wrestled the UFWC off the Swedes at Highbury in 1947. And went on a successful run of defending it 11 games. But. Then. The World turned upside down. 29 June 1950. Estadio Independencia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. England nil, USA one. The winner was scored by Haitian born Joe Gaetjens. After he'd retired from Soccer (had to use that term in honour of the USA's remarkable UFWC victory), Joe returned to Haiti, was arrested by the Tonton Macoutes (Secret Police) and never seen again.

At the 1962 World Cup in Chile, Mexico, despite being knocked out in the groups, emerged with the UFWC. In March 1963, Mexico took on The Netherland Antilles in the CONCACAF Cup. Mexico with a population of 100 million. Versus a small Dutch claimed group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Mexicans lost 2-1. And, The Netherlands Antilles became Unofficial Football World Champions - for four days - losing to Costa Rica.

All told around 50 different countries have held the UFWC across 900 or so games. And Italy now take the title into their next game probably against Bulgaria. England have 21 years of UFWC hurt. And counting.

We had a pre UFWC match Horrendous Lemons reunion in The Exmouth Arms behind Euston Station, and now surrounded by HS2 diggings. For the record, I went….

New Bristol Brewery, The Boogie Below, Milkshake IPA on Keg at 5%

Sambrook's Brewery, Half Time Oranges, Pale Ale on Keg at 4.2%

Obviously, this Blog has been a

Congratulations You Have Just Been Informed By The Carrier Bag Firm

production

But, there has been a large amount of plagiarism. And I want to credit The Unofficial Football World Championship website at

https://www.ufwc.co.uk/

and their Twitter @UFWC_Football 

And a separate Twitter Account @ufcw_corner

A superb body of work fellas. Thank you.

Twitter @ball_sup 

www.twitter.com/ball_sup 

Untappd ball_sup 

Stats

I have now Blogged from 970 games in 2,518 days