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World Cup 1970/ Did the CIA poison England's goalkeeper before the match with Germany (to favor Brazil)

2026-05-28 20:56:57Histori SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Goalkeeper Gordon Banks (right)

As unlikely as it may seem, theories are that the loss may have been part of an incredible Cold War-era conspiracy, allegedly orchestrated by the US and its Secret Service.

A conspiracy theory linking one of the most historic World Cup matches to the CIA has surfaced 56 years later and just weeks before the new tournament kicks off in the US, Canada and Mexico.

The story tells of the quarter-final of the 1970 World Cup in Brazil between England and West Germany, when the "Three Lions" were defeated 3-2, ending any hope of retaining the world title they had won 4 years earlier.

As unlikely as it may seem, theories abound that the defeat may have been part of a far-fetched Cold War-era conspiracy, allegedly orchestrated by the US and its Secret Service. As many believe, there was intrigue surrounding the sudden illness of England's great goalkeeper of the time, Gordon Banks, who suffered from food poisoning hours before the match.

World Cup 1970/ Did the CIA poison England's goalkeeper before the match

The absence of the man then considered the best in the world in his position significantly affected England's chances in the match played in Mexico.

Fatal poisoning

Banks had shown the first symptoms after the final group match against Czechoslovakia, but was thought to have recovered before suffering a relapse on the day of the quarter-final. He was replaced by Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Bonetti, who many consider responsible for all three goals his team conceded. Others say the decision to replace Bobby Charlton in the 70th minute was the cause.

For years, many in the football world believed that Banks, who died in 2019 at the age of 81, was the victim of "sabotage" that fateful morning in 1970.

A three-year investigation has now examined the claim, focusing in particular on whether the incident was part of a CIA operation to throw England off course and ensure that Brazil would ultimately win the trophy.

Gabriel Gatehouse, former international editor of the BBC's Newsnight, began investigating the case when he was contacted by Banks' nephew, Ed Jervis. In his autobiography, Banks appears to have blamed a bottle of beer for his illness. However, Jervis told the journalist that his grandfather "was always a bit suspicious", while the gatekeeper's son, Robert, added: "He found it extremely strange that he was the only one who got sick and got so sick."

The case was revived by legendary football journalist Brian Glanville in his 2007 book, England Managers: The Toughest Job In Football, in which he says that "I gradually began to believe that Banks was the victim of sabotage".

"You don't think we'd let England beat Brazil, do you?"

According to Glanville, another football journalist, Bob Oxby, had told him that he had a cousin named Stuart Symington, a senator in Missouri from 1952 to 1976. In a discussion about Banks' illness, Symington is said to have told Oxby: "That was the work of the CIA. Do you think we would let England beat Brazil, or not?"

World Cup 1970/ Did the CIA poison England's goalkeeper before the match
Banks, wearing a yellow jersey, was England's goalkeeper in their World Cup victory against West Germany in 1966.

The theory is that the US intervened to support the military dictatorship in Brazil, which Lyndon Johnson's government had helped install in 1964. By the time of the World Cup, 6 years later, the regime was unpopular and winning the trophy was seen as an ideal way to boost popular support.

Gatehouse spoke to Glanville about the story 2 years before his death, last year at the age of 93.

"All he said was that Oxby was a reliable journalist and that Symington had told him 'it was part of a plan,'" Gatehouse wrote in the Observer. He noted that Symington was a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which received intelligence from the CIA.

Gatehouse also found a document in CIA files from 1971 that said that the president of Brazil, General Emilio Garastajo Medici, “skillfully managed to attach himself” to the trophy. At the same time, the journalist admitted that his contacts in the intelligence community had never heard of a case of poisoning.

However, he recalled the testimony of a CIA biologist who had testified to the Senate in the 1970s about "substances that can cause very serious stomach upset."

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