2 times the World Cup trophy was stolen and what happened
The FIFA World Cup trophy for soccer is one of the most iconic prizes in the world of sports. People can also claim that it is arguably the most coveted piece of metal after the Olympic gold medal. The World Cup trophy has been displayed in some of the most memorable photos in the history of international football.
Despite the heavy security protocol associated with the World Cup trophy, it has been stolen two times
The World Cup trophy is one of the most coveted statuettes in the sports universe.
The gold trophy is usually taken around the globe ahead of the World Cup games and is only supposed to be touched by a president, previous winners and a select group of people. Despite the heavy security protocol associated with the trophy, it has been stolen two times.
Since the World Cup competition was started in 1930, two trophies have been used – the first one called the Jules Rimet Trophy (1930-1970), and the current FIFA World Cup Trophy (1974 to date).
World Cup trophy was first stolen in London
The trophy was stolen on March 20, 1966, four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, during a public exhibition at Westminster Central Hall in London.
It was discovered seven days later, wrapped in newspaper, at the foot of a residential garden hedge on Beulah Hill in Upper Norwood, South London by a dog named Pickles.
In 2018, the identity of the thief was revealed to have been one Sidney Cugullene, who until the unbelievable theft had been a petty thief. Cugullene chose to throw away the World Cup trophy because he was scared of the press coverage of the heist.
After the heist, the Football Association discreetly made a duplicate of the trophy for use in exhibitions rather than the real one as a security measure.
Because FIFA officially denied the FA permission to make a copy, the replica had to vanish from the public and was hidden for many years under its creator’s bed. This duplicate was finally sold on auction in 1997 for £254,500 (Sh37,418,831 in the current exchange rates) to FIFA.
It is currently in Manchester at the English National Football Museum. In 1970, Brazil won the World Cup Trophy for the third consecutive time allowing them to keep the original Jules Rimet Trophy.
The second time the World Cup trophy was stolen in Brazil
The second time the world cup trophy was stolen was in 1983 when a gang entered the Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF) headquarters where the trophy was kept and hid in the building until closing time.
The gang stole the FIFA World Cup trophy after gagging the only security officer who was guarding it. Four suspects were tried and convicted in absentia for the crime. The trophy has never been recovered, and it is widely believed to have been melted down and sold.
After the original trophy was won by Brazil in 1970, the replacement trophy was commissioned by FIFA for the 1974 World Cup. FIFA originally had a rule stating that any team that wins the World Cup three times became permanent owners of the trophy.
However, currently, teams that win the World Cup don’t get to keep the prize, but are given a gold-plated replica to keep, which is called the FIFA World Cup Winners’ Trophy.
