Battiston and Schumacher Collide - France vs West Germany (FIFA World Cup 1982)
Michel Platini threaded the ball through the German defense, with Battiston chasing after it. He managed to at least kick the ball (even if it wasn't in the direction of the goal) before Schumacher leaped towards him. Schumacher later said he didn't want to hit Battiston with his knees. So he turned in midair and his hard hip and forearm hit Battiston's torso and jaw. He flew through the air. Battiston fell down with a thud. The camera follows the ball, which goes way wide of the goal, but catches vision of the French fans behind the goal staring, shocked. A member of the French commentary team (heard in the video above) exclaims, "Ay! Ay! Ay!" as Battiston turns over, his left arm disturbingly suspended in the air slowly dropping.
As players gather around Battiston's pale body, Schumacher stands with the ball by his feet a few steps away, his body posture looking as if he doesn't care about Battiston's injuries.
France's captain at the time, Michel Platini, said after that he thought Battiston was dead as he had "no pulse and looked pale".
A stretcher arrives. It carries Battiston away, his right arm hanging over the side. Platini holds it up as he walks with the stretcher-bearers. Battiston is carried into the tunnel.
Referee Charles Corver said "Unfortunately I did not see the collision because I was following the ball which went just wide of the goal, I immediately asked if my assistant referee saw it and he told me that in his opinion, it was not intentional. Therefore, I could not do anything."
So the incident went unpunished. No red card. No yellow. Not even a penalty. The game resumes and Schumacher performs his goal kick that he had been waiting so long for. The goal kick is just a small pass to one of the German defenders.
Battiston had three of his teeth knocked out, damaged vertebrae and cracked ribs. He was unconscious for half an hour. Drifting in and out of a coma. He recovered after six months.
"I observed his behaviour, the way he clashed with Dominique Rocheteau and Didier Six, I thought he was very hyped up, very excitable. I remarked on this to the other players on the bench. Maybe he did feel guilty, one can draw all sorts of conclusions as to what he did feel. All I know is that Schumacher was someone who wanted to win at all costs and he went way over the top that evening," Battiston said to AFP about Schumacher.
Anti-German sentiment was stoked in France. Schumacher beat Adolf Hitler to first place in a newspaper poll of France's biggest enemies. "SS", they called him.
"I was a totally apolitical person, but suddenly I was responsible for anti-German resentment flaring up in France. It sounded like I was going to trigger the next war. So much hatred I had never felt before." Schumacher said. "I did not want to hurt Battiston but I would do the same thing again if the action were to recur," he told Le Figaro. "It was the only way to get the ball."
West Germany played in France in a friendly in April 1984. "When I entered the stadium in Strasbourg for our first international match against France after the World Cup, I saw myself as a life-size doll dangling on the gallows," he said. "The pitch was fenced and secured by police with batons. Otherwise, the French would have torn me apart. Everywhere there were banners with swastikas and slogans like 'Nazi'. They whistled and raged whenever I had the ball, but they could not make me feel small. Eggs, potatoes, apples, tomatoes, stones - they threw everything at me. France won 1-0 but I put in a strong performance. As the game progressed more and more of the crowd applauded me." Things cooled down. "I swapped jerseys with Battiston," he said. "But in the dressing room, not on the pitch."
"I have forgiven him," Battiston said. "Over time, I realize that people have forever marked him with this. But now it's finished."
Schumacher's World Cup story is two failed finals and that stance. The World Cup semi-final. Seville, July 8, 1982. Hands on hips, waiting to take his goal kick.
Sources: https://www.goal.com/en/news/so-much-...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick...
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