Football at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Belgium won gold after Czechoslovakia walked off in the final.
Football at the 1920 Summer Olympics was the fifth Olympic association football tournament, held in Antwerp, Belgium. It was the first to include a non-European nation, Egypt, and marked the return of the Olympics after World War I, with the Central Powers not invited. The tournament is notable for its controversial final, which was abandoned after Czechoslovakia walked off the pitch.
Quick Facts
- Country
- Belgium
- Confederations
- 2
- Venues
- 4
- Cities
- 3
- Dates
- 28 August – 5 September 1920
- Teams
- 15
- Champion other
- BEL
- Second other
- SPA (1785)
Facts from the source article.
Tournament
Fifteen teams signed up for the knockout tournament, but Switzerland pulled out on the morning of the first round because of internal disagreements, so France got a 2-0 win. That left twelve teams to play in the first round; the winners moved on to the quarter-finals along with France and hosts Belgium, who had a first-round bye. In the first round, Norway beat Great Britain in what is widely seen as one of the biggest upsets in football history. Czechoslovakia, playing in their first international tournament, reached the final by defeating the Kingdom of SCS (also making their international debut), Norway, and France. Belgium, after their bye, beat Spain and the Netherlands to get to the final. The final was called off in the 39th minute, and Belgium was given the gold medal after Czechoslovakia walked off the field to protest the refereeing of English official John Lewis and his linesmen. A version of the Bergvall System decided the silver and bronze medals: the quarter-final losers played a mini-tournament, and Spain came out on top by beating Sweden 2-1 and Italy 2-0. Originally, Spain would have faced the teams that lost to gold medalist Belgium, but because Czechoslovakia was disqualified and Belgium had a first-round bye, the semi-final stage was dropped. Instead, Spain advanced to a match against the Netherlands, who had lost to Belgium in the semi-finals, and Spain won 3-1. This game was not part of the main tournament; it was set up after both teams were already out. Some sources wrongly call it an eighth-place match or part of the silver and bronze tournament.
Results
The final was highly controversial and remains the only international final abandoned as of 2024. Belgium were awarded the gold medal after Czechoslovakia walked off in the 39th minute with Belgium leading 2–0, protesting the officiating after Czechoslovak left-back Karel Steiner was ejected for assaulting Belgian striker Robert Coppée. The Czechoslovaks were also dissatisfied with English referee John Lewis and English linesmen Charles Wreford-Brown and Arthur Knight, who had allowed a contentious second Belgian goal by Henri Larnoe in the 30th minute. Lewis, Wreford-Brown and Knight had officiated the Belgian semi-final victory over the Netherlands two days earlier, a match observed by the Czechoslovaks. The Czechoslovaks immediately protested the result, but their protest was dismissed, and the team was ejected from the competition. The original Bergvall System format had the winner of the beaten quarter-finalists tournament play off in the semi-finals with teams beaten by gold medalists Belgium, but due to Czechoslovakia's ejection and Belgium's first-round bye, the semi-finals were scratched. Spain, winner of the beaten quarter-finalists tournament, advanced to the silver and bronze medal match against the Netherlands, who had been beaten in the semi-finals by Belgium.
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