DID THE young Swede who refereed both the semi-final and final of the World Cup in Italy in 1934 really meet Benito Mussolini, Italy’s dictator, for dinner the night before the first of those matches? And did he agree to favour the home team, paving the way for Italy’s triumph in the tournament? To this day misgivings(疑虑，担忧) persist, although there is no clear evidence.
1934年意大利世界杯，那位执法半决赛和决赛的年轻瑞典裁判是否真的在首场比赛前一晚与意大利独裁者贝尼托·墨索里尼共进晚餐？他是否同意偏袒东道主，从而为意大利夺冠铺平道路？时至今日，猜疑依然存在，尽管没有明确的证据。
From its birth, the World Cup has been beset by troubles and scandal. The stadium for the first one, in Uruguay in 1930, was not ready on time. The only African team slated to participate in that tournament, Egypt, literally missed the boat(错过机会，未赶上). And Uruguay, the eventual victor, was so incensed by the poor turnout from Europe that it boycotted Mussolini’s World Cup four years later—the only time a defending champion has failed to show up.
世界杯自诞生以来就麻烦与丑闻不断。1930年首届乌拉圭世界杯的体育场未能按时完工。唯一受邀参赛的非洲球队埃及，真的错过了船。而最终夺冠的乌拉圭因欧洲球队的冷淡反应而勃然大怒，于是抵制了四年后的墨索里尼世界杯——这是卫冕冠军唯一一次未能参赛。
Hostile hosts
充满敌意的东道主
As with Italy in 1934, the host country is often suspected of skulduggery(诡计，欺诈行为). When the tournament was held in England in 1966, much of Latin America believed it was engineered in favour of the hosts (who, as everyone in England knows, won) and other European countries. The Argentine captain was sent off in an ill-tempered game with England and an English referee dismissed two Uruguayans in their match against West Germany. In 2002, when the tournament was split between Japan and South Korea, it was the Europeans’ turn to feel victimised. South Korea knocked out first Italy, after the referee disallowed an Italian goal and sent off a star player, and then Spain, in another game scarred by refereeing controversies. “It seemed as if they just sat around a table and decided to throw us out,” griped Franco Frattini, an Italian government minister.
与1934年的意大利一样，东道主常被怀疑耍花招。1966年英格兰世界杯时，许多拉丁美洲国家认为比赛被操纵，偏向东道主（每个英国人都知道，英格兰赢了）和其他欧洲国家。阿根廷队长在与英格兰的一场情绪失控的比赛中被罚下场，一名英国裁判在与西德的比赛中罚下了两名乌拉圭球员。2002年日韩联合世界杯时，轮到欧洲人感到受害。韩国队先是淘汰了意大利，裁判取消了意大利的一个进球并罚下了一名球星，随后又在另一场充满裁判争议的比赛中淘汰了西班牙。意大利政府部长佛朗哥·弗拉蒂尼抱怨道：“他们似乎就围坐在桌子旁，决定把我们赶出去。”
President’s pet
主席的宠儿