Speaking of great and lesser Danes: Koge BK won the Denmark’s championship.
True to tradition, champions varied in this country. For the champions themselves, it was their second title – and until now – last. Modest club, to say the least, but Koge BK held special distinction at home: when they won the championship in distant 1954, they became the first club outside Copenhagen to do so. Winning provincial clubs were no longer news in 1975, but Koge BK were hardly among the better Danish clubs, so it was a surprise to outsiders and happy occasion for the home boys.
Champions without a single known name among them – typically Danish, right? Wait! Not a single player of this squad is listed among the all-time greatest players of the club! Speaking of champions…
A more familiar club won the Cup – Vejle. They were at their first strong period, although never becoming truly dominant force and their ‘golden years’ were still in the unknown future. But that is Danish football – or was.
If Koge BK were anonymous, so were Vejle, according to their names. What is noticeable is shirt advertisement. Amateur football, but trying to get some cash from sponsorship. In Denmark it was hit and miss affair, occasionally quite lunatic. This year it was normal – apart from funny sounding name Vejle sported. Tulip? Never mind the flowers.

When the Brazilian failures were packing to go home, a historic East European transfer took place – in the summer of 1975 Wlodzimierz Lubanski joined KSC Lokeren. Why ‘historic’, since East Europeans, and Poles in particular, were playing for foreign clubs for years? Because this transfer was no longer hush-hush affair, but officially announced in the Eastern European media. The reports were fantastic – I remember an article on the subject: Lubanski was allowed to play professional football in gratitude. Because of his long service to Polish football. But he was severely injured and missed the 1974 World Cup – he was not expected to recover fully and return to his previous form. Some gratitude… a player, who is considered no longer able to play, given to the Capitalist ‘wolves’. To the wolves, because the ideological point was not omitted at all – the Capitalists exploited players mercilessly and discarded them as soon as a player was no longer profitable. Which seemed to be the case of Lubanski… except he looked like no longer profitable to Communist Poland. There was also a little sneer at the buyers, which made the whole transfer looking like plain cheating – giving the West some second-hand goods. Ha-ha! The weirdness of the commentary led to strange conclusions: it was ‘fair’ Communism which discarded players mercilessly and the greedy cheaters were also Communists, not Capitalists. ‘Gratitude’ – did not look like it. As for business, it was more likely that player had no real value anymore, for he was sold to small Belgian club – whoever was willing to pay whatever hard currency, that is. Yet, on the other hand there was something else: the first ‘official’ transfers were like tasting ideological waters – it was carefully and fearfully done, always with some aging star sold to some obscure club. Too bad Lubanski was chosen for the experiment.
Lubanski with KSC Lokeren’s shirt and having the last laugh – he played 34 games (not missing one during the season!) and scored 17 goals in his first year in Belgium. He also stayed with Lokeren until 1982 and then moved to France, adding a couple more seasons and clubs. And he was to make history yet – Lubanski became the first officially professional and foreign based player included in the Communist Poland’s national team: in the 1978 World Cup. The guy who was not supposed to play high level football anymore…
After him Polish (and soon not only Polish) transfers were casually announced in the East European media – Robert Gadocha was the next and there was no fuss. He also got much better transfer, moving to Nantes (France) in the summer of 1975.
Robert Gadocha, first row, far right, posing with his new club Nantes. His transfer was announced casually in Eastern Europe – as if such transfers were the most normal thing in the world. Better club surely, but Gadocha never played for Poland again, unlike Lubanski.
Transfers are still one of the biggest thrills in football – the media, the fans, the clubs, everybody frets and hopes; enjoys and cries for players coming or going. But that is for summer (or was back in the 70s), when football is not played and hopes for the next season are forged. The real salt is the season itself, though, so enough with transfers and back to the game.
Only the season tells the worth of new players and who and how wise was in the sleepy summer – was it ambitious Nantes, acquiring one of the best players of the 1974 World Cup, Gadocha (left), or the modest Belgian outfit RWD Molenbeek, investing in anonymous Dane – Bjerre (right).

The Intercontinental Cup was not played at all in 1975. It was logical fiasco – the European interest was declining for years and after the mediocre performance of the South Americans in the 1974 World Cup, there was no attraction left. It was expensive show, promising no financial returns on one hand, and high risk of heavy injuries of players, on the other. Runner-ups represented Europe in the last few years, the champions refusing to participate. If anything, the absence of the yearly challenge further diminished the European interest in South American football as far as seeing it was concerned. But in the same time more and more South American players were coming to play in Europe. Since European season is generally spread into two years, transfers made in 1974 will be mentioned here: high profile Brazilians were coming. Atletico Madrid bought Luis Pereira and Leivinha from the 1974 World Cup Brazilian selection. This transfer was both normal and not: Spain was the obvious destination of big stars, but Atletico already had 2 foreign players and under Spanish rules was prohibited to play more in a single match. Yet, Luis Pereira, Leivinha, and Argentines Heredia and Ayala played for a lot for Atletico. But the more interesting transfer was French: Olympique Marseille acquired Jairzinho and Paulo Cesar Lima – Caju. It was a transfer of real mega-stars, pointing at the market changes: European clubs were paying much more and South American countries had no way to prevent their stars from following the cash. Back in the 1960s it was different: Pele, for instance, was declared ‘national treasure’ by the Brazilian government and thus nobody outside the country was able to buy him. No more restrictions now, except temporary ones, when world cup was near. That was one side of the transfer – the other was the destination. French clubs, having rather small budgets, generally did not buy major stars, so this transfer signified a new direction. Yet, the buyer was Marseille – this club from time to time had ambitious ideas of becoming really superclub, meaning extravagant spending, and usually without results. The coming of Jairzinho and Paulo Cesar Lima turned out to be disaster – the players were aging, underperformed, and were not particularly happy in France. Marseille failed to win the championship and also failed to become one of the European superclubs.
Top, left to right: Tresor, Victor Zvunka, Vanucci, Bracci, Charrier, Bulgues.
Bottom: Emon, Jairzinho, Albaladejo, Bereta, Paulo Cesar Lima.
By the names, should have been mighty team, with particularly lethal attack. It was not… and in the summer of 1975 the Brazilians returned home. Marseilles’ accounting department was relieved and nobody missed the legends.

lias Figueroa was voted Footballer of the Year of South America for a second time. These were the best years of the Chilean, no doubt. May be he was more deserving in 1975 than in 1974 too – after all, his season was crowned with the goal winning the Brazilian title. Yet, Europe failed to notice him again.
With the Brazilian championship cup, the best South American statistically: he was the only player by 1975 voted best on the continent twice.

The Brazilian mess perhaps can be shown better with few words about ‘amazing team’: America (Rio de Janeiro).
America was founded in 1904 and is a ‘second-tier’ club in the Rio’s football universe. Not really big; not small either. Sometimes winning, most often – not. In 1974 they won the prestigious Taca Guanabara and caught international attention, for they were not supposed to win anything: the club was in big financial crisis, players were not paid for months, and they went on strike. Twice. So far, nothing unusual – Brazilian football as a whole was like that (and is today as well). But America played well between and after strikes, winning their first – and only – Taca Guanabara (this is old and prestigious tournament in Rio, still played and cherished). Money did not come because of that, only glory. And interest: how was possible for untrained and deeply troubled team to win? The goalkeeper explained it psychologically and let it be.
Occasional win… most likely. America was surely to sink without money. Well, they finished 8th overall in the 1975 Brazilian championship in the 42-team composite table. May be really they had some kind of unusual psychology, motivating them to play good without training and without money. Or may be they were really Diabo (Devils, the club’s nickname). The real story of Brazilian football is really amazing: how was and is possible to run championships and to play great football in perpetual financial and organizational mess is unexplainable. America should have folded in 1974-75, not winning. Miracles and magic, what else…

Sweet days in Buenos Aires; dark ones in Rio de Janeiro: the title went elsewhere. Again. This time to Porto Alegre.
Now, Internacional were neither new – the club was founded on April 4, 1909 – nor unknown – they were traditionally strong at the championships of Rio Grande do Sul, their native state, where Inter enjoyed massive rivalry with Gremio. But in the grand scheme of Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo they were somewhat lesser club and not well known abroad, since foreigners generally associated Brazilian football with the legendary clubs from Rio and Sao Paulo. One of the nicknames of Inter is ‘O Clube do Povo’, meaning ‘The Folks’ Club’, but in Brazil such name is more appropriate for Flamengo, so I prefer to use another – and simpler – nickname: ‘Colorado’ or ‘The Red’. Colorado were just one more club cracking the myth of supreme clubs as Flamengo, Santos, Botafogo, Fluminense. They played differently too – somewhat a hybrid of the artistic Brazilian football, associated with Rio and Sao Paulo’s clubs and the physical unattractive game of Palmeiras in the early 1970s. As for stars, the Red had plenty, thus suggesting another change of Brazilian football – an economic one. ‘Provincial’ clubs apparently had more money and better financial management than the ‘giants’. At the end of the season Inter played the final against Cruzeiro and a goal scored by a defenseman brought the national title to Porto Alegre.
Elias Figueroa scores and Inter wins its first Brazilian title.
Top, left to right: Valdir, Manga, Figueroa, Herminio, Chico Fraga, Falcao.
Bottom: Valdomiro, Cacapava, Flavio Minuano, Paulo Cesar Carpegiani, Lula.
Not bad at all… some national players, compensating for the World Cup fiasco – Figueroa (Chile), Valdomiro, Carpegiani; a major Brazilian star, somewhat never really included in the national team – Lula; high scoring striker – Flavio; and a young player who later became one of the most famous players in the world – Falcao. But perhaps special attention should be reserved for Manga, now 38 years old: the goalkeeper was infamous for been part of the ‘worst ever’ Brazilian team, the one of World Cup 1966. Two years later, when an attempt of investigating wide-spread briberies in Brazilian football, Manga was one of the accused. His accuser, the famous coach/journalist Joao Saldanha, became so annoyed by Manga’s refusals, he shoot him with his revolver. Manga run all the way to Uruguay… whether scared or disgraced. Won championships and Libertadores with Nacional, and returned to Brazil to become a champion. His career was checkered, yet he achieved something Pele himself did not. And Manga was by no means finished yet.
This was the 5th national Brazilian championship and so far only once club from Rio was victorious. Four different champions in five years, only Palmeiras winning twice. From the cold statistics, it looked like exciting, highly competitive, and unpredictable championship – as a Brazilian one should be. In reality, it was not quality, but lunacy on the rise. This season 42 clubs competed in the ‘league’. The schedules were Byzantine and so were the backroom machinations. Was any club relegated? It depends… may be at some time there were relegations; at other time – no.

Argentina, surrounded by dictatorships, was getting itchy to join the neighbours, which meant domestic turmoil. Football does not fair well in political and economic instability, but football is also an universe in itself, no matter how other universes try to penetrate it. Independiente were still the kings of South America. Menotti was the new national coach, looking for players from smaller clubs. Argentina was still losing…most recently at Copa America, but somebody must win anyhow and this year it was River Plate. With a double! In a sharp contrast, Independiente finished 13th in the 20-club Metropolitano championship and failed to reach the final tournament of Nacional championship.
River Plate is a great club, but how great is great? One great-great was the coach: the legendary Angel Labruna. Legendary player, that is – as a coach hardly so. But his squad seems good combination of oldish, current, and rising stars – Perfumo, Mas, Alonso, Fillol, Passarella. Some almost-stars too – Ghisso, Reinaldi. Overall: strong squad. Oscar Mas is somewhat of a statistical mystery, though: officially, he played for Real Madrid in the 1973-74 season and is listed a River player for 1974-75. Most likely, he returned from his largely unmemorable European adventure in the fall of 1974, for he appears in the new Real squad for 1974-75 with newcomers Milan Miljanic and Paul Breitner. He faired better at home, finally collecting titles – the double in 1975 was the first titles for River since… 1957! How sweet to be back on top.