Guttmann curse

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Béla Guttmann (1953)

The Guttmann curse is a well-established saying by the former football coach of Benfica Lisbon , Béla Guttmann . In 1962, after his non-consensual departure, he prophesied that “Europe would not win any more titles for 100 years”. Before that, Guttmann had sensationally led Benfica to win the European Cup twice, ending Real Madrid's winning streak that has been going on since the beginning of the competition for the first time . Since then, Benfica has lost all finals it has reached in international club soccer competitions. The term has been used internationally for several years.

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Immediately after the final on May 2, 1962 and the win against Real Madrid (5: 3) in the European Cup, the coach of the winning team, Guttmann, visited the Benfica club superiors in the honor box of the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium . Guttmann is said to have been denied a salary increase or premiums that had already been promised by those responsible, after which he made the statement . In fact, Benfica has not won a European title since then - they were able to reach five more European Cup finals , one UEFA Cup final and twice the UEFA Europa League final, but they always had to admit defeat to the respective opponent.

On the eve of the national championship finals in 1990 , club icon Eusébio , star of the European Cup winning teams from 1961 and 1962, even visited Guttmann's grave in the new Jewish cemetery in Vienna's central cemetery and asked his former coach to take the curse back - in vain, AC Milan managed to defend their title.

Even the erection of a bronze statue in the local Estádio da Luz in February 2014 could not overcome the curse. It shows the former successful coach in life size with the two European cups in his arms. Shortly thereafter, Benfica lost their most recent European Cup final, this time in the Europa League against Sevilla FC .

Meanwhile, Benfica have lost eight European Cup finals in a row. Only Juventus Turin has lost more often with ten finals currently lost. However, the record of consecutive defeats in the final without a triumph is clearer. Here Juventus takes second place with five defeats in a row.

Final defeats since the curse

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Not in 100 years 11 friends , accessed June 6, 2014.
  2. ↑ A curse prevents Benfica's triumphs in Europe , Die Welt , May 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ After the help from above and against the curse Der Standard , May 13, 2013.
  4. ↑ James Masters: Benfica and 'the curse of Bela Guttmann' CNN , May 16, 2013
  5. ↑ Benfica is playing against the Guttmann-Fluch Sportschau , May 14, 2014, accessed May 14, 2014.
  6. ↑ La eterna maldición de Guttmann El Mundo , May 15, 2014
  7. ↑ La "maldicion de Bela Guttman" sobrevuela la final Benfica - Sevilla El Liberal , May 14, 2014.
  8. ↑ 'Curse of Bela Guttman' abides as Portugal's Benfica loses another European soccer final Haaretz , May 15, 2014.
  9. ^ Andrea Sorrentino: Benfica, resiste la maledizione di Guttmann "Non vincerete più una Coppa per 100 anni" La Repubblica , March 13, 2013.
  10. ↑ Florian Haupt: The conjuring of all powers. In: Welt am Sonntag , No. 19 of May 11, 2014, p. 28.
  11. ↑ Europa League final: Gaitan and Co. fight against the Guttmann curse. In: Sport Bild . May 15, 2013, accessed July 27, 2016 .
  12. ^ Tilo Wagner: Europa League finalist Benfica: cursed for 52 years. In: Spiegel Online . May 14, 2014, accessed July 27, 2016 .