• May 30, 2021

The Strange Tale of the Jules Rimet Trophy

The gold trophy awarded to the eventual winners of each FIFA World Cup tournament is the most precious prize in football. But the trophy that will be awarded to any team that ultimately wins in South Africa in 2010 will not be the lifting of the original trophy, first awarded in 1930, but a replacement that has been in use since the original, the Jules Rimet trophy. Awarded in perpetuity to Brazil in 1970, in recognition of their third World Cup victory. But the story behind the fate of the Jules Rimet trophy is much stranger than you might imagine.

The trophy itself was first created for the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930. At the time it was officially known as the “Victory”, it wasn’t until 1946 that it was renamed for the man whose vision had spawned the competition in the first place. place. It was a true work of art. Designed by Abel Lafleur, its blue lapis lazuli base featured a solid gold representation of the goddess Nike, the ancient Greek patron saint of victory.

In January 1966, the Jules Rimet trophy arrived in London, so it could be displayed before the World Cup, scheduled for England later that year. The trophy was left in the care of the English Football Association, which kept it at their headquarters in Lancaster Gate, displaying it publicly only on a few well-organized occasions.

In February, however, the Stanley Gibbons Stamp Company requested permission from the FA to “borrow” the trophy, which would be used as a central attraction for its Stampex exhibit the following month. The company promised that it would be well protected and covered by a $ 30,000 insurance policy, even though it was only valued at $ 3,000.

In March, the exhibition opened in Westminster’s Central Hall. Two guards were hired to stay near the trophy day and night, accompanied by two plainclothes policemen during the day. But still, it was later admitted that no one had their eyes on the prized mug at all times.

On Sunday March 20, security guards conducting their noon inspection discovered that the cabinet containing the Jules Rimet trophy had been opened and the award was missing.

Scotland Yard took over the investigation immediately, but the first leads fell through. Then, on Monday, March 21, FA President Joe Mears received an anonymous phone call at his office. The caller said that Mears could expect delivery of a package, addressed to him, to Chelsea football club the next day.

But the package made it to Mears’ house. It contained the removable liner of the Jules Rimet trophy and a bill demanding fifteen thousand pounds in small bills. The note also instructed the FA to place a coded advertisement in The Evening News’ personal contacts column. If the subsequent demands followed, the note continued, they would have the trophy back on Friday.

The events of the following days seem like something out of an old gangster movie. Mears contacted Scotland Yard, who began to put a plan in motion. Fake money packages were created and two officers were assigned to be with Mears at all times. Meanwhile, they sent him home to wait for another phone call.

When the phone call finally came, Mears, terrified, was having an asthma attack. His wife handed the phone over to his assistant McPhee (who in real life was Detective Inspector Buggy). “McPhee” was instructed to continue, cash in hand, to nearby Battersea Park.

Buggy continued, followed by several Flying Squad colleagues in unmarked cars. At the door he found a “Mr. Jackson” Buggy showed the man the suitcase, and he did not realize that the coin was counterfeit. Buggy demanded to see the trophy before handing over the money. Jackson agreed, getting into Buggy’s car promising to take him to the trophy.

At some point along the way, “Jackson” realized they were being followed and got nervous. He motioned for Buggy to stop at the next traffic light so he could go and retrieve the trophy from its hiding place. After getting out of the car, he fled. Buggy chased after him and finally found him hiding in a private garden. At the police station they identified him as Edward Betchley, a local car dealer and a petty thief. He was charged with the theft and the subsequent extortion attempt, but the Jules Rimet trophy was still missing.

On March 27, a local, David Corbett and his dog Pickles were walking around the Beulah Hill area of ​​South London, as was their custom. The dog discovered a package roughly wrapped in newspaper. Corbett opened it and recognized its contents immediately. He converted the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy at the local Gypsy Hill police station right away. Your browser may not support the display of this image.

Although initially under suspicion, Corbett had an ironclad alibi for the time of the robbery and after FA officials positively identified the trophy as genuine, news of his recovery broke and Pickles found himself hailed as a national hero.

Corbett received a $ 12,000 reward and Pickles even had a brief film career. In the summer of 1966 England won the World Cup, so the Jules Rimet trophy remained hidden in England for another year. A replica was created immediately after the original was recovered for public display.

In 1970, following the instructions of the man himself 40 years earlier, when Brazil triumphed in the competition they conceived for the third time, they were awarded the Jules Rimet trophy to stay. A new trophy was created that will be awarded to future winners. Your browser may not support the display of this image.

In 1983, the Jules Rimet cup was stolen once again and has never been found. Investigators believe it was immediately melted for its value in gold, and Pickles the dog was no longer around to help them search for it.

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