The match against Belgium for access to the World Cup, 50 years ago on 18 November 1973, the referee’s mistake and the disallowed goal which qualified Cruijff’s Holland
In the history of football there is a specific day which – if only a referee had been less poor or probably less cowardly – would have canceled all the days to come, would have annulled them, nipped them in the bud, diverting the trajectory of destiny elsewhere. It went well, we can say this with some relief. That day is November 18, 1973. It is the day in which a decisive match was played in Amsterdam for the qualification for the World Cup which would be held the following year in Germany. The match was Holland-Belgium. Discarding the obviousness of a fatal mistake – now let’s talk about it – the weaving of History found its own shape and offered all of us the chance to enjoy Total Football, Totaalvoetbal, and what Cruijff’s Holland had begun to trigger in those years: an epochal revolution, capable of changing the characteristics of the game forever.