Margaret Thatcher’s government agonised over whether to demand British teams withdraw from the 1982 World Cup amid fears they could have to play Argentina while British and Argentine troops were still fighting in the Falklands.
Newly-released official documents show that while Conservative ministers believed the prospect of such a sporting clash would be “unacceptable” to their own party, they did not want to pick up the bill if the football authorities were left out of pocket.
England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all qualified for the 1982 World Cup finals held in Spain, with the opening game of the tournament scheduled for the middle of June.
Among the papers released by the National Archives at Kew, west London, is a report by environment secretary Michael Heseltine, written in May 1982 as the task force steamed towards the Falklands, warning that British and Argentine players could soon be facing each other on the football pitch.
“In Britain, some footballers/administrators have already expressed concern at playing in a competition with Argentina. There is some feeling in our own party that this would be unacceptable,” he wrote.
Officials were also concerned at the heightened prospects of hooliganism at a time when it was still a big problem in the game.
“Whatever happens between now and the end of the World Cup series, the Falklands Islands factor can only increase the risk of hooliganism, and there is nothing we can do to lessen the risk,” warned WK Slatcher at the Foreign Office.
But while Mr Heseltine, as the Cabinet minister responsible for sport, acknowledged that a match involving one of the home countries against Argentina would be a distasteful prospect, he argued it would be wrong for the government to call for a boycott.
Withdrawal by the UK teams would, he said, be greeted as a “moral victory” by the Argentinians while damaging relations with Spain where there was strong support for the Argentine cause. And then there was the cost.
“The financial consequences of a withdrawal are considerable for the three Football Associations,” he wrote.
“There could be a ban on competing in the 1986 World Cup; a heavy Fifa fine; the possibility of compensation; the cancellation of travel and accommodation arrangements; and players’ contracts would have to be met.
“The Scottish and Northern Ireland Football Associations could be bankrupted. Whilst there might be no legal obligations on Her Majesty’s Government for compensation, there could be a moral one.”
“My present view is that HMG should not yet suggest withdrawal to the football authorities, be that we should be ready to adopt that course, at short notice if the situation worsens and in the light of public opinion,” he added.
In the event, the conflict ended and the Argentines surrendered just as the tournament was starting. In the football, the three UK sides and Argentina were all eliminated without having to play each other.