The story of a team in the face of “soldiers”, “strong enemies” who angered the dictator…

Josip Broz Tito was the leader of a huge guerrilla movement in Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945. This movement is considered to be the largest resistance movement among the German-occupied countries. It is no coincidence that after the end of World War II, Tito became the leader of Yusolavia.

In the West, Tito was seen as the most important figure in the world communist movement after Stalin. But relations between the two leaders did not go smoothly. Stalin East Europe he was accustomed to dictating the figures he brought to power in his country. Tito was not like that.

Josip Broz was not a puppet in nature, and rightly believed that, unlike other communist leaders, he owed himself and his supporters, not Stalin, for coming to power. He acted accordingly, not asking permission from Moscow for every step.

As a result, relations between the two countries deteriorated and in 1948 completely broke down. Stalin thought that after his open criticism, the Yugoslav Communists would overthrow Tito, but this did not happen. The vast majority of Yugoslavs stood behind their leaders. As a result, the USSR-Yugoslav conflict took a long time. Moreover, Yugoslavia has become the leader of any capitalist state, even the opposition USAwas perceived as an even more hostile country.

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For the first time, USSR athletes participated in the XV Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952. There were footballers among them.

In post-war Soviet football, army players dominated. During these years, the “military”, known as SDKA (Central Dom Krasnoy Armii), and since 1951 as SDSA (Central Dom Sovetskoy Armii), won 5 gold and 2 silver medals in 7 championships held in 1945-1951, 3 silver medals, 3 times won the country cup. Therefore, they were the most represented in the team sent to the Olympics – 5 people. With the exception of goalkeeper Nikanorov, 4 other people (Basashkin, Nirkov, Petrov and Nikolayev) were players of the main team. Moreover, SDSA coach Boris Arkadyev was behind the wheel of the team.

In the first match of the tournament, which was initially held in the playoffs, the USSR faced another socialist country, Bulgaria. After the main goal, which ended goalless, extra time was set, and in the 95th minute, the Bulgarians opened the scoring. But Bobrov and Trofimov did not want to leave the Soviet team in the first round 10Goals scored in the 0th and 104th minutes saved – 2: 1.

In the second round, the opponent is India in the first game 10: It was the Yugoslav team that defeated with a score of 1. The Yugoslavs were a strong enough team to win a silver medal at the Olympics four years ago. This game in terms of relations between the two countries political was important. Representatives of both countries, especially the Soviet side, repeatedly warned the players about this.

But July 20During the match, which took place at the Ratina Stadium in Tampere, the Soviet footballers continued the Yugoslav attacks for about half an hour. After goals in the 29th and 33rd minutes, the score was 2: 0 in favor of the South Slavs. In the 44th minute, another goal was scored and the teams went to the break with a score of 3: 0.

If the Soviet players had microscopic hopes that the situation would change, it disappeared after the fourth goal they conceded in the 46th minute. True, in the 53rd minute Bobrov scored a goal, but 6 minutes later the difference was again four goals – 5: 1.

For the next 16 minutes, the game was coming to a lawful end. Even Trofimov’s goal in the 75th minute did not inspire the Soviet players or frighten the Yugoslavs. But in the 79th minute, when Bobrov scored another goal, the situation changed significantly. The score was already 5: 3 and there were 11 minutes left until the end of the game. The situation was difficult, but not as hopeless as before.

After that, the second breath of the USSR footballers was opened. They were attacking fast, creating dangerous situations one after another. The Yugoslavs, on the other hand, had recently fallen into the trap of the Soviet players, unable to hold the ball and blindly throwing it away. As a result, Bobrov scored a hat-trick in the 87th minute, minimizing the difference (the first hat-trick in the history of the USSR national team). In the 89th minute, Petrov equalized with a header – 5: 5.

In extra time, the psychological advantage and, consequently, the advantage of the game was again on the side of the Soviets. They scored twice, but in one of them Beskov’s shot hit the post, and in the other Nikolayev’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Beara. As a result, the score did not change in overtime.

The rules of the time did not provide for a series of 11-meter shots in such cases. Therefore, two days later, on July 22, an additional match was scheduled.

The second match was also held at Ratina. There was only one change in the composition of the teams. Chkuaseli played in the Soviet team instead of striker Maryuti. Yugoslavia was formed two days ago.

This time the score was opened in the 6th minute and again Bobrov scored. But just 13 minutes later, Mitic equalized. In the 29th minute, Bashashkin’s handball was awarded a penalty to the USSR and Bobek put the Yugoslavs ahead. After the break, in the 54th minute, the Yugoslav captain Tchaikovsky’s shot hit Bashashkin and changed direction and entered the goal – 3: 1. Unlike the first two games, this time the Soviet players could not gather to make a turn, and the game ended with this score.

Thus, the USSR team stopped participating in the tournament. The Yugoslavs defeated Denmark (5: 3) and West Germany (3: 1) and reached the final. Here, losing to the legendary Hungarian “golden team” 0: 2, he was satisfied with a silver medal, as he did four years ago.

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The 1952 USSR Football Championship kicked off in early July, before the Olympic tournament began. But the games of the teams that sent players to the national team were postponed. When those players returned, the teams began to participate in the championship.

The SDSA also played three games after the Olympics and won three. The team defeated Dynamo Moscow and Tbilisi (1: 0 and 3: 2), Kuybyshev’s Krylya Sovetov 4: 2. On August 18th Kyiv Dinamo would face Su, but on the same day the team cancel was ordered to be.

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was not really a fan of sports, and sports purely him political interested in terms. Therefore, the performance of the players at the Olympics, the defeat of the “strong enemy” Yugoslavia caused sharp dissatisfaction. But why this dissatisfaction with individual players and coaches, not going to the tournament 20 The logic of five players moving to the team they represent is not clear.

Nikolai Romanov, chairman of the All-Union Committee for Physical Culture and Sports in 1945-1962, wrote in his memoirs: Political A member of the bureau, Georgi Malenkov, the second man after Stalin in 1952, summoned him and ordered the dissolution of the SDSA.

Order No. 793, signed by Romanov, expelled the SDSA team from the championship for failing to perform at the Olympics and for damaging the reputation of Soviet sport; coach Boris Arkadyev is deprived of the title of “honored master of sports”; The next meeting of the committee would discuss the irresponsible behavior of individual players. Three weeks later, Bashashkin, Beskov, Krijevsky, Nikolayev and Petrov were deprived of the title of “master of sports” by order No. 808.

Thus, the team that has won the national championship five times in recent years with a decision cancel was done.

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Fortunately, the SDSA was restored only two years later. After Stalin’s death, Defense Minister Bulganin ordered the restoration of the team, and the SDSA continued its participation in the USSR championship from 1954 onwards. It has been called SSKA since 1960. However, he failed to regain his former glory and only won two championships (1970 and 1991) and two national cups (1955 and 1991) before the collapse of the USSR.

After Stalin’s death, Boris Arkadyev and five footballersflour honorary titles were also returned.

The USSR and Yugoslav teams competed in the 1956 Olympics and the 1960s Europe met in the final match of the championship. In both cases, the USSR won (1: 0 and 2: 1), the Olympics and Europe became the champion. But this time there was no previous political agitation as relations between the two countries softened.