If we delve into the history of football matches, we inevitably come across November 21, 1945, a day marked by one of the most bizarre football games ever witnessed between English club Arsenal and Soviet team Dynamo Moscow. Despite being a friendly match, it was characterized by numerous blatant violations of the rules, taking advantage of the heavy fog that enveloped the stadium and catching the referees off guard, making it arguably the strangest match in history.
At the end of World War II, the United Kingdom was still under certain restrictions, including the suspension of competitive sports. The English Football League did not resume until 1946, creating a significant demand among British citizens for any form of football, even friendly matches. In response, the English Football Association arranged several friendlies involving English clubs against Dynamo Moscow, which was touring Britain after winning the Soviet league.
The first match, against Chelsea, was marked by rough play from the visiting team and a lack of seriousness from the English players, ending in a 3-3 draw. Dynamo Moscow then faced Cardiff, a third-division team, and overwhelmed them with a 10-1 victory. They then prepared to face Arsenal, the English champions of the 1930s, in a match held on November 21, 1946, at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium (since Arsenal’s ground was being used for war efforts). The match was refereed by Soviet official Nikolai Latyshev, assisted by two English officials.
The game was shrouded in dense fog, making visibility extremely difficult for the referees, players, and spectators, contributing to the match’s peculiar nature. Given the thick fog, it would have been logical for the referee to postpone the game until conditions improved. However, he insisted on starting it, which led to one of the oddest football matches in history.
Spectators reported seeing four additional Dynamo Moscow players entering the pitch unnoticed by the referee. Arsenal officials confirmed that there were 12 Dynamo Moscow players on the field, leading to a temporary suspension of the game until one player was sent off to make the numbers legal. Despite this significant rule violation by the visitors, Arsenal soon followed suit: after English striker George Drury was sent off with a red card, he stealthily re-entered the field to continue playing. Additionally, it was reported that a spectator had to stand in as a goalkeeper for Arsenal after the regular keeper was injured by a collision with the post.
The match saw numerous injuries due to intentional rough play by both teams. English player Ronnie Rock suffered a severe head wound, while Dynamo’s captain Vitaly Simichastny sustained a black eye, all occurring during the game’s many unobserved incidents. The match ended 4-3 in favor of Dynamo Moscow, with the fourth goal, scored by Vasily Popov, leading to an outcry from Arsenal players who claimed it was offside. Arsenal’s manager, George Allison, suggested to the Soviet embassy’s first secretary that the goal be waived to end the farce, but the protest was rejected, and the goal stood.
The match, while ending as one of the most bizarre in history, was not without further oddities. Even before the match began, it was discovered that Arsenal had enlisted top English internationals to play, leading Dynamo Moscow players to complain that they faced the English national team rather than just Arsenal. A further revelation came that not all Dynamo Moscow players were from the same team; some played for other clubs in the Soviet Union.
The match was described by writer George Orwell as having worsened Soviet-British relations rather than improving them, reflecting the political tension that lingered and possibly even exacerbated by the game.
