World Cup '74 Portrait #153 (Carlos Caszely: Chile)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today we represent the generously-moustachioed Carlos Caszély, a photo sticker of whom was featured in both the FKS & Panini World Cup 1974 collectors’ albums (the former providing the original source image for our subsequent ‘re-mediation’ in this instance) & who was selected as a member of the Chile squad for the tournament, at which he played twice, in the first match against the hosts West Germany, during which he was sent off (becoming the first player to be physically shown a red card in the process), & what proved to be the Chileans’ last, the goalless draw with Australia that resulted in both teams being eliminated at the conclusion of the First Round.

Research reveals that Caszély had further interesting history with the World Cup, featuring when Chile qualified for the Finals again in 1982 in Spain, missing a crucial penalty in a 0 – 1 defeat to Austria, again being absent from the Chileans’ second match (coincidentally against his earlier nemesis West Germany) & then being substituted whilst Chile were 0 – 3 in arrears to Algeria in their final fixture with his replacement scoring the second of Chile's comeback goals in an eventual 2 – 3 defeat.

At the time of the ’74 World Cup, & although he played the majority of his career for Colo Colo, in two spells, in Chile, Caszely had spent the preceding season in Spain, playing for Levante, going on afterwards to Espanyol for a further four years, & tonight our thoughts turn to Spain & indisputably the most delightful result of the weekend (even considering Wrexham’s late comeback triumph over Welling), Atlético’s wonderful 2- 1 victory in the Madrid derby – happy days indeed.

World Cup '74 Portrait #85 (Ove Grahn: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

In what seems to be proving a slower week for the drawing project, this most recent subject to be processed represents Ove Grahn, who was selected for inclusion in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ collectors’ albums, & the Sweden squad for the finals themselves, where he went on to appear in & throughout all six of the Swedes’ first & second phase group matches.

Unlike a couple of his Swedish teammates, Grahn’s, in common with the far greater majority of the players involved in the ’74 World Cup, is not a name I recall from experience of the television coverage of the tournament, although, having also played twice during the 1970 tournament (& scoring a last-minute winner against Uruguay then), history records a certain World Cup pedigree. He passed away, aged 64, in 2007.

Back in the present (just to prove we can do that too here at TOoT), this drawing was brought to a conclusion to the accompaniment of Spain’s shock demise, eliminated from the current World Cup after only two matches of their defence of the trophy courtesy of a 0 -2 defeat to a most impressive Chile, following their opening, calamitous 1 – 5 capitulation to eventually rampant Holland: how quickly history moves on (although had David Silva scored to make it 2 – 0 at one stage against the Dutch, would that have slowed the process, if not changed the course?).

And why couldn’t Ramos & Casillas have performed quite so incompetently during the Champions’ League Final?