The ECHO’s Chris Beesley continues his daily series of articles on Everton and the World Cup running throughout the tournament in Qatar.
In terms of what was at stake, the 1966 World Cup semi-final between West Germany and the Soviet Union was the biggest game ever staged at Goodison Park but many angry supporters stayed away, leaving Everton’s home with its lowest crowd of the tournament. Goodison was supposed to be the venue for hosts England’s semi-final match against Portugal but the ties were the subject of a late ‘switch’, prompting understandable fan fury.
The normally reserved Liverpool Daily Post blasted that Merseysiders were calling the FIFA decision to play the England v Portugal World Cup semi-final at Wembley as “the greatest betrayal in sporting history.”
