World Cup '74 Portrait #214 (Alfonso Lara: Chile)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the Project with a re-mediation of an image of Alfonso Lara, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums (the latter providing our original source for this drawing), & then selected for inclusion in the Chile squad for the tournament, during which he made but one brief playing appearance, for all of 7 minutes as a late substitute in the Chileans’ opening match defeat to West Germany.

Alfonso Lara has passed away since the beginning of this project, having done so on August 13^th, the day I was processing the drawing of Attila Abonyi, who coincidentally played for Australia against Chile (though not Lara directly, of course) during the 1974 World Cup.

World Cup '74 Portrait #132 (Attila Abonyi: Australia)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 #17 (Attila Abonyi)

graphite & putty eraser/30x20cm

Following the completion of representations of members of the (or an) Argentina squad, the World Cup ’74 drawing Project proceeds alphabetically along the course of the qualifying nations & thus now begins to feature the Australian selection (at least as proposed by the FKS stamp album ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974'), then Finals’ debutants, with the portrait subject that both emerges from & is contained within the familiar matrix of graphite-toned squares being one Attila Abonyi, a name previously unknown to me & certainly not recalled from mostly hazy memories of the televised coverage of the tournament that served, essentially, as my introduction to an interest in football (hence its ‘hauntological’ significance to & generative force behind the Project, with the pair of collectors’ stamp/sticker albums that provide the original source material for the drawings’ processing providing equal inspiration &, more importantly, tangible object matter).

The habitual light research reveals that Abonyi, born in Hungary but subsequently qualified to represent Australia, was indeed chosen as a member of his adopted country’s official squad &subsequently played twice during the Finals, appearing as a half-time substitute in their second match, a 0 – 3 defeat to the host nation West Germany, & then being selected for the final fixture against Chile, a goalless draw which served to eliminate both teams from the tournament at the first hurdle.

In a new feature, here’s a scanned image of the original source stamp as it appears in its album.

In cultural news, the Uncut magazine special collectors’ edition devoted to the history & glory of The Smiths (& subsequent developments), compiled from various music paper archive features & interviews, & including reappraising album reviews amongst its contents, presented itself as an essential purchase, as well it would, & has rather influenced the working playlist since. What a pleasure indeed to hear The Smiths’ back catalogue, fresh, vital & utterly contemporary, necessary, & Morrissey’s ‘Vauxhall & I’ too, a cracking album itself.