Magic Cup: Today Klopp and Tuchel make history

Wembley 94 years ago and today: A kicker version after the 1928 FA Cup final – and Tschell with Klopp in the League Cup final in February.
Kicker / imago photos

The pride of the AFC Wimbledon football club, revived by its fans and members in 2002, is located on Plow Lane in southwest London, on the border with Wandsworth. The stadium of the same name, newly built in the ancient homeland, stretches over a narrow area. Accessible to anyone who has walked into the little club shop. Caution is required there. For when John, the commentator, narrator, and sergeant rose from his chair to cheerfully tell visitors about the past, it is quite possible that he left one of his spectacles on the floor. There is no space for a table. So it is better to look down, not only at the precious memorabilia in the showcases and on the walls.

The Football Club Museum room from Makkah is witnessing a resounding success. On May 14, 1988, Wimbledon, who had finished a surprisingly strong season in the First Division in seventh place after an 11-year run through the amateur tournaments, won the FA Cup. This Saturday, exactly 34 years ago, the stark outsider beat favorites and big-time champions Liverpool 1-0 at old Wembley. So: Laurie Sanchez sent a cross from Dennis Wise’s free kick into the Reds’ goal in the 37th minute of the match. Next, Wimbledon held out strong in front of 98,203 spectators – and goalkeeper Dave Besant after an hour of play scored a penalty from Liverpool striker John Aldridge. This is the first time a goalkeeper has saved a penalty in an FA Cup Final. The team surrounding Vinnie Jones and John Fashanu – Besant is their leader – goes down in history as the “Crazy Gang”. And Mrs. Diana presented them with a silver cup.

For the first time, a German coach wins the FA Cup

On May 14, 2022 it will be blue in front of red again. 150 years after the first FA Cup final, the mother of all football competitions, Liverpool again in the final against Chelsea. Wimbledon has just been relegated to the fourth tier of League Two.

History will be made again, that’s for sure even before we set off. With Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, two German coaches face each other for the first time. With Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Antonio Rudiger in the Blues shirt, there are three German players in the middle of the match. Klopp or Tuchel – whose captain will receive the trophy from Prince William?

Grail Day – has been such a national holiday for many decades. In the UK, the clocks seemed to stand still for a moment on Saturday afternoon: fans of the finalists blasted off for the masses, and some, not just those interested in sports, at least in front of the radio or television.

The sports show was officially reported once in the FA Cup Final

The program of the 1988 FA Cup Final between Wimbledon and Liverpool.
football table

The official end-game anthem “Stay With Me” is played in front of the obligatory anthem itself, “God Save the Queen”. A member of the royal family walks in the front rows, exchanging a few friendly words with the long-haired (or shaven-headed) professionals whose names aren’t all known: the images repeat with reliable familiarity, yet each adds a new word of expectation and tingling.

There were official comments in which ARD commentators emphasized the most important scenes from the sacred grass and from the stands for the German-speaking audience of the sports show. Today, it’s too late to play for appetizers on the public evening program. DAZN, on the other hand, broadcasts the entire program live and, as with the supposedly small League Cup final this season, could look to a pairing that could also be the Champions League final: Chelsea vs. Liverpool. Of course, there can be no big surprise with this constellation.

This original trophy, the FA Cup, did just that and revived over and over again: the idea that David could defeat Goliath. A beautiful idea that is still ingrained in the sport of team football in 2022, especially in the cup and knockout position. From Round Three, when the first weekend traditionally in January sees the big clubs make their debut, to the day fans gather for Wembley Way in northwest London.

White Billy and Sunderland premiere

In his early years, Kicker reported regularly, admirably, and even respectfully, from England, where the initially convicted “Voslumeli” had come to Germany. The ‘Final Cup’, an expression of a mass phenomenon, especially in the British working class, formed the title in 1925 (Sheffield United v Cardiff City 1:0) and 1928 (Blackburn Rovers v Huddersfield Town 3:1) with photos taken before Big fan showed interest.

In 1923, policeman George Scesi saved the event on his white horse Billy, because he was able to quietly push the audience off the grass at Wembley Stadium, which was crowded with more than 100,000 people. The confrontation between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United (2-0) was known as the White Horse Final.

It all began at the Kennington Oval Cricket Ground on March 16, 1872, when the Wanderers of the London Borough of Battersea defeated the Royal Engineers 1-0.

Until the final 142 this week, the oldest cup competition in the world has produced several Wimbledon tournaments. Just ask about Sunderland, who were the first second-tier side to win in 1973, and about the then superstar Leeds United (1-0). Or at Southampton, which also beat Manchester United 1-0 in 1977, was the last time Queen Elizabeth II personally honored the winners – and the losers. Or at Arsenal, who won a total of 14 times from 1930 to 2020 and is the record holder.

There could be more episodes of this kind, but to keep the story short, here’s my congratulations: Merry Christmas, FA Cup!