New ‘auld enemies’ on and off the field: British governments and the Italy–England games played in 1939 and 1948

ABSTRACT

During the 1930s and 1940s Italy, alongside France, played England more times than any other foreign country. Moreover, the games played in 1939 and 1948, represented in the media as ‘matches of the century’, matched England, the ‘Masters of Football’, with Italy, the World Cup champions. The two countries were rivals also off the pitch, as highlighted by the Second World War. For British governments, these two fixtures possessed considerable significance because of not only soccer’s instrumental role as cultural propaganda but also concerns about Italy’s politico-diplomatic alignment both before and after the War. Official discussions inspired by the 1948 game prompted the Foreign Office to press the case for a more proactive government approach towards British sport. In the event, this policy initiative proved abortive, but did mark significant advances in both Foreign Office thinking about international sport and its working relationship with The Football Association, especially Stanley Rous, and the Rugby Football Union.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the Football Association for permission to quote from FA Minute Books and other materials.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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2. ‘England win in Turin’, The Times, 17 May 1948, 2.

3. Beck, ‘Britain and the Cold War’s “Cultural Olympics”’, 173.

4. Nye Jr., Soft Power, x, 1, 5; Archambault, ‘Football and fascism’, 639-45.

5. The National Archives, UK (hereafter TNA), McNeil to Morrison, 1 July 1947, FO953/4H/P852.

6. Beck, Scoring for Britain, 108-113.

7. Ivan Sharpe, ‘England are expected to win easily’, Daily Dispatch, 18 May 1939, 12.

8. Quoted, Beck, Scoring for Britain, 274.

9. Football Association Archives, National FootballMuseum (FA), Report of Continental Tour, 1939, encl. International Selection Committee (ISC), 5 June 1939, minute 3, 1938-39.

10. Beck, ‘Britain and the Cold War’s “Cultural Olympics”’, 170-3.

11. Trevor Wignall, ‘The Daily Spotlight’, Daily Express, 17 May 1929.

12. Rous, Football Worlds, 62. Despite defeating Scotland 3-0 in 1931, Italy’s priority remained victory over England.

13. Beck, ‘Conclusion: “Good kicking” is not only “Good Politics”’, 224-5.

14. Allison, ‘Sport and politics’, 3.

15. TNA, Cranborne, 22 June 1936, FO371/20462/W5343.

16. TNA, Kennard to Leeper, 26 May 1936, Kennard to Orme Sargent, 3 June 1936, FO371/20462/W5343; Beck, Scoring for Britain, 225-7.

17. Wall, Fifty Years of Football, 220.

18. TNA, Broad, 22 May 1939, FO371/23785/R4193.

19. TNA, Sargent, 19 November 1935, FO371/18884/C7566.

20. Allison, ‘Sport and Politics’, 12.

21. Beck, Scoring for Britain, 197-200.

22. TNA,Dougherty to Vansittart, 25 August 1938, FO395/568/P2241.

23. TNA, Warner, 15 July 1938, Dougherty, 25 August 1938, FO395/568/P2241.

24. FA, ISC, 24 June 1938, minute 10, 1937-38.

25. FA, ISC, 11 March 1939, 1938-39; ‘Association Football’, The Times, 4 April 1939, 5; ‘Association Football’, The Times, 17 April 1939, 5; Allison, Allison Calling, 148-51.

26. FA, ISC, 9 January 1939, 1938-39; Sir Stanley Rous, interviewed by the author, 28 March 1980; Beck, Scoring for Britain, 250-5.

27. L.W. Manning,‘50,000 Union Jacks at Big Italian Match’, Daily Sketch, 12 May 1939; Ivan Sharpe, ‘England team foiled by amazing goal’, Daily Dispatch, 15 May 1939,12.

28. TNA, Loraine to Halifax, 16 May 1939, FO371/23785/R4193G.

29. L.W. Manning, ‘Italians have gone soccer crazy’, Daily Sketch, 11 May 1939, 38.

30. L.W. Manning,‘50,000 Union Jacks at Big Italian Match’, Daily Sketch, 12 May 1939.

31. Matthews, Feet First, 92.

32. Quoted, Clifford Webb, ‘Italian game was a jolly party’, Daily Herald, 15 May 1939, 17; Hapgood, Football Ambassador, 41-6.

33. FA, Report of Continental Tour, 1939, encl. ISC, 5 June 1939, minute 3, 1938-39; Sir Stanley Rous, interviewed by the author, 28 March 1980; L.W.Manning, ‘Why Male plays at Milan: England team to give fascist salute’, Daily Sketch, 13 May 1939, 30.

34. Beck, Scoring for Britain, 154-8.

35. Clifford Webb, ‘Italian game was a jolly party’, Daily Herald, 15 May 1939, 17; ‘Association Football: England draw in Milan’, The Times, 15 May 1939, 7; ‘60,000 see England draw with Italy, 2-2ʹ, New York Times, 14 May 1939, 84.

36. Hapgood, Football Ambassador, 46.

37. TNA, Loraine to Halifax, 16 May 1939, FO371/23785/R4193.

38. TNA, Noble, 22 May 1939, Orme Sargent, 25 May 1939, FO371/23785/R4193.

39. L.W. Manning, ‘It was “Match of Century” ’, Daily Sketch, 15 May 1939, 34; John Macadam, ‘Italians on best behaviour, still use their elbows’, Daily Express, 15 May 1939.

40. ‘Sport ambassadors depart’, Daily Sketch, 10 May 1939, 3; John Macadam, ‘England player on tour sighs for steak – and chips’, Daily Express, 23 May 1939.

41. Ivan Sharpe, ‘Tell England’, Daily Dispatch, 30 May 1939, 6.

42. L.W. Manning, ‘Sixteen men do a fine job of work’, Daily Sketch, 29 May 1939, 22.

43. England’s victory internationals (1945-46) were not treated as full internationals.

44. ‘Inghilterra, amore mio … ’, Storie di Calcio, n.d., https://storiedicalcio.altervista.org/blog/sfide_ita_eng.html (accessed 12 November 2020).

45. ‘Association Football: England win in Turin’, The Times, May 17,1948, 2.

46. ‘Italy: What they say’, Daily Mirror, 18 May 1948, 7.

47. ‘England are still soccer masters’, Daily Mirror, 17 May 1948, 7.

48. ‘England defeats Italy’, Manchester Guardian, 17 May 1948, 3.

49. ‘Association Football: England win in Turin’, The Times, 17 May 1948, 2.

50. TNA, Ward to Crosthwaite, 27 May 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225; Hannaford, n.d., encl. Mallet to Adam, 27 May 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225.

51. ‘Four goals that shook Italy’, Manchester Guardian, 17 May 1948, 5.

52. ‘‘England defeats Italy’, Manchester Guardian, 17 May 1948, 3.

53. TNA, Mallet to Adam, 27 May 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225. For Fabien Archambault, football was ‘a top-level sport’ in Italy, not the national sport: Archambault, ‘Football and fascism’, 639-40.

54. TNA, Ward to Rous, 11 November 1948, FO924/708B/LC4404.

55. TNA, Ward to Crosthwaite, 27 May 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225.

56. TNA, Ward to Rous, 11 November 1948, FO924/708B/LC4404.

57. TNA, Ward to Crosthwaite, 27 May 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225.

58. TNA, Mallet to Adam, 27 May 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225; Donaldson, The British Council, 137-9.

59. TNA, MacDermot, 14 June 1948, Crosthwaite, 21 June 1948, Aitken, 29 June 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225.

60. TNA, Aitken, 29 June 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225; Stoddart, ‘Cricket’s Imperial Crisis’, 696-718; Beck, ‘Britain and the Cold War’s “Cultural Olympics” ’, 172-3.

61. Beck, ‘Confronting George Orwell’, 187-90; Beck,‘The British Government and the Olympic Movement’, 620-1.

62. TNA, Aitken, 16 July 1948, Bevin to Noel-Baker, July 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225.

63. International Olympic Committee, The Official Report, 17.

64. R. Mostyn Pritt, ‘Elder Statesman’, New Statesman, 8 November 1996, 9; Peter Oborne, ‘The leading edge’, The Spectator, June 2,2007, https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-leading-edge.

65. Harold Abrahams, ‘Britain Also Ran’, The Spectator, 20 August 1948, 235.

66. Attlee, Parliamentary Debates, Commons, 5th Ser., vol. 419, col. 85, 13 February 1946.

67. Morrison, Parliamentary Debates, Commons, 5th Ser., 22 July 1948, vol. 454, col. 567.

68. TNA, Chancery, Rome, to Foreign Office, 16 September 1948, FO924/708B/LC3609.

69. Dietschy, ‘The Superga Disaster’.

70. FA, Overseas Tours, Spring and Summer 1950. London: Naldrett Press, 1950, 10-11.

71. TNA, Rous to Ward, 22 October 1948, FO924/708N/LC4404.

72. TNA, Warner to Prentice, 25 January 1949, Prentice to Warner, 28 January 1949, FO924/708B/LC4404.

73. TNA, Caccia, 12 January 1949, FO924/708B/LC4404.

74. TNA, Bevin to Noel-Baker, July 1948, FO924/708B/LC2225.

75. TNA, Dove, 15 January 1949, FO924/708B/LC4404.

76.. FA, ISC, 17 December 1945, minutes 26 & 32, 1938-46; Tomlinson, Sir Stanley Rous, 3-5, 73-118.