World Cup whisky and the Cold War: When East and West Germany met

A noteworthy objective, a dangerous wager, whisky carried past the Iron Curtain and a star striker ousted by mystery police from his national group just before its most prominent minute.

An exceptional arrangement of occasions was gotten under way after East Germany's 1-0 triumph over West Germany in the 1974 World Cup.

It was the main football coordinate played between the countries, two ideological alternate extremes divided after the Second World War.

After the fall of Nazi Germany, the Communist East turned into a satellite condition of the Soviet Union, while the entrepreneur West was framed of occupation zones controlled by America, Britain and France.

Until 1964, they contended in the Olympics together - as the United Team of Germany.

In any case, the East German-constructed Berlin Wall, raised three years sooner, was an indication of decreasing political warmth, and when Eric Honecker took over initiative of East Germany's solitary gathering in 1971, he reported that unification with the West was never again a target.

For a considerable length of time the East Germans dismissed West German suggestions to play football. It was viewed as a lot of a hazard - there was a far more prominent shot of annihilation than in games, for example, swimming and weightlifting.

Be that as it may, in a World Cup, there was no decision.

"The authorities were trusting it wouldn't be a disfavor," says Hans-Jurgen Kreische, a delicately spoken previous Dynamo Dresden and East Germany striker who played in the milestone diversion at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion on 22 June 1974.

"The players didn't feel any weight however. Actually, we were anticipating contrasting ourselves with the West.

"It was something we over and over strived for, however the experts dependably counteracted."

In the West Germany side were commander Franz Beckenbauer and productive striker Gerd Muller. They were the host country, and the European heroes.

No big surprise Hans Apel, at that point a month into his new activity as the nation's fund serve and an observer at the gathering stage coordinate, was in certain temperament.

"I was very certain we would beat them something like 3-0," he stated, talking before his passing in 2011.

"I wasn't energized, I wasn't apprehensive. We were extremely great at football, and no one knew anything about them."

The match turned out in an unexpected way. Controlling a skipping ball and slicing through the West Germany guard, Magdeburg striker Jurgen Sparwasser hit with 12 minutes left to verify triumph for East Germany.

As per Kreische, the amusement was played in well disposed conditions. In no way like a derby between adversary states.

A short time later, he and Apel would have a pivotal experience.

"Following the last whistle every one of the players swapped shirts, despite the fact that we didn't do it on the pitch in light of the fact that formally it was taboo," Kreische says.

"Yet, we jumped on great. We talked a similar language all things considered. It was a hard however reasonable fight."

The success gave East Germany top spot in the gathering, which appeared to really work in West Germany's support.

It implied they maintained a strategic distance from Brazil, Argentina and Netherlands in the second gathering stage, arriving among Poland, Sweden and Yugoslavia.

The bazaar proceeded onward. A mass migration of fans, players and columnists went to their next scenes. For Apel, it was an arrival to this present reality of government in the West German capital Bonn, by means of Dusseldorf.

Kreische was on a similar flight, in transit to Hanover, where protecting bosses Brazil lay in pause.

The two men sat beside one another.

"He asked me my identity," Apel reviewed.

"'I'm the Finance Minister of the Federal Republic,' I stated, and he giggled, so I demonstrated to him my personality card. He was bewildered, perhaps somewhat apprehensive.

"I said to him, one thing is totally clear, West Germany will never win the World Cup.

"In any case, he said to me 'no, that is thoroughly wrong, you will be the best on the planet'.

"'You're simply blathering', I said. 'Maybe you're too affable to even think about telling me how awful this group is. We should make a wager. Five jugs of whisky'."

Kreische didn't have the way to purchase whisky or send it over the outskirt, so they concurred that just Apel would need to pay up in the event that he lost.

The bet was set, and Kreische's vocation would take an irreversible turn.

West Germany went on to win the World Cup, originating from an objective down to beat a splendid Netherlands side 2-1 in the last in Munich.

East Germany were killed from their scary second gathering, losing to the Dutch and Brazil, however dealing with a 1-1 draw with Argentina.

When he was back in Bonn after the competition finished in July 1974, Apel requested that his secretary get him a few containers of good whisky.

"I called the represetative of East Germany in Bonn, and I said to him 'You will get five jugs of whisky, and you will transport them please to Mr Kreische'."

This is the way a conciliatory pack containing a few migraines worth of fine scotch crossed a standout amongst the most delicate and unsafe outskirts on the planet.

"I was stunned to get it at first since I didn't generally know Apel by any means," says Kreische.

"In Dresden we couldn't get West German TV so we weren't that all around educated. A great deal of us, including me, didn't know his identity.

"What's more, it was totally prohibited to have any contact with anybody in West Germany.

"Be that as it may, I was permitted to keep the containers. I imparted them to my companions. It was great whisky. Highly contrasting."

Furthermore, there, for half a month, the issue rested. Until a letter achieved Apel's office.

"I got a composed letter - an exceptional letter," Apel said.

"Kreische later disclosed to me it was composed by the mystery administration, and he needed to sign it."

That mystery administration was the scandalous and unavoidable Stasi, who penetrated all aspects of East German culture. They enlisted witnesses, and sources to educate on the witnesses. It would have been outlandish for Kreische not to think about the potential results of taking the whisky.

"I was restless. I was surely mindful of the reality somebody would see this undertaking, however I wasn't actually apprehensive," he says.

"I had such a high position at Dynamo Dresden that I couldn't generally envision being sacked or ousted from pro game."

He wasn't right.

The whisky, just as a letter that Apel sent with the blessing, devastatingly affected Kreische's profession.

"In my letter there stood a sentence which made extra issues for him," Apel said.

"It read 'I trust that we will meet again soon'. This made the impression there might have been more than football talk and a straightforward wager."

In 1976, East Germany won the football gold award at the Montreal Olympics. Be that as it may, Kreische was missing. He pursued their noteworthy adventures from Dresden.

"That year Dynamo Dresden was the best group of the nation. We won the alliance title and the glass and I was the best scorer, with 24 objectives," he says.

"After I read my Stasi record in 2004, I presently realize that it was a result of this wagered I wasn't taken.

"The record stated: 'Sportsman Kreische isn't worthy to speak to East Germany at the Olympic Games'."

After two years, at 30 years old, Kreische resigned.

In any case, in spite of passing up an Olympic gold decoration, he is still glad for his commitment to East German football history, and his 50 tops for his nation.

"For what reason would it be a good idea for me to grieve or lament something that happened such a long time ago?

"From that point forward I met Apel and we turned out to be great companions. He lamented that the entire thing had hurt me a great deal.

"That I could be a piece of that 1974 World Cup was overpowering. Also, that we could demonstrate we could play great football on the opposite side of Germany was awesome."