Olympic medalist
Eduard Streltsov
Medal record
Men's Football
Gold	1956	Team

Eduard Streltsov (Эдуард Анатольевич Стрельцов, born July 21, 1937; died July 20, 1990) is a former Soviet football (soccer) player, who was nicknamed Russian Pelé. Image File history File links Eduard_Streltsov. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Games of the XVI Olympiad were held in 1956 in Melbourne, Australia, although the equestrian events could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Streltsov played for Torpedo Moscow in the Soviet Elite League. In 1958, as the Soviet national team qualified for its first World Cup, he was ordered to join either the Soviet Army's CSKA or KGB's Dynamo Moscow, but refused (even when Lev Yashin was sent to persuade him). As a result, Streltsov was kicked off the national team and was sent to seven years in a labor camp. The world's press wrote that two teams had been seriously weakened for that World Cup, England after the Munich air disaster and the USSR due to the loss of Streltsov^[1]. He came back to Torpedo in 1965, and promptly led them to the Soviet Championship. FC Torpedo Moscow (Russian: Футбольный клуб Торпедо Москва) is a Russian football club, based in Moscow. ... First international Estonia 2 - 4 RSFSR (Tallinn, Estonia; 18 September 1923) USSR 3 - 0 Turkey (Moscow, USSR; 16 November 1924) Last International Cyprus 0 - 3 USSR (Larnaca, Cyprus; 13 November 1991) Scotland 3 - 0 CIS (Norrköping, Sweden; 18 June 1992) Largest win USSR 11 - 1 India (Moscow, USSR; 16... The 1958 Football World Cup remained in Europe,In Bern, Switzerland in June 1954 in its congress with 32 votes FIFA gives the right to hold the event to Sweden. ... The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (in Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya), the armed forces first organized by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... PFC CSKA Moscow (Russian: or Professional Football Club - Central Sports Club of Army (Moscow)) is the football section of the CSKA sports club of Moscow, Russia. ... The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language abbreviation for State Security Committee, (Russian: ; Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). ... Dynamo Moscow (Dinamo Moscow, Dinamo Moskva, Russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian football club based in Moscow. ... Lev Yashin Lev Ivanovich Yashin (Russian: Лев Ива́нович Я́шин) (October 22, 1929 - March 20, 1990) was a Russian Soviet football (soccer) goalkeeper, arguably the best ever in the sport, known for his supreme atheleticism in goal, imposing stature (he was 6 3, 190 cm) and amazing reflex saves. ... Gulag ( , Russian: ) is an acronym for Главное Управление Исправительно—Трудовых Лагерей и колоний, Glavnoye Upravleniye Ispravitelno-trudovykh Lagerey i kolonii, The Chief Directorate [or Administration] of Corrective Labour Camps and Colonies of the NKVD. Anne Applebaum, in her book Gulag: A History, explains: Literally, the word GULAG is an acronym, meaning Glavnoe Upravlenie Lagerei, or Main Camp... First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First... A plaque at Old Trafford Football Ground commemorating the Munich air disaster The Munich air disaster occurred on February 6, 1958, when Flight BE609, a British European Airways Elizabethan class Airspeed Ambassador charter aircraft G-ALZU Lord Burghley, carrying players and backroom staff of Manchester United F.C., plus a...

Allegations of Rape

Refusing to sign for the two Soviet-influenced teams was merely one contributing factor to his time in the labour camp. It is noted that at a party, he made an offensive remark about the daughter of a leading member of the Soviet cabinet, which greatly offended the person in question and probably contributed to the allegations being placed upon him. Also, his 'boyish' looks and hairstyle were starting to incite the young Soviet teenagers, bringing ideas of freedom and the notion of not living under a strict rule. The Soviet government saw this as a threat.

Eventually, he was charged on raping a young woman. The records of the trial seem to suggest ludacrous bias on the count of the judge, with 12 witness reports being ignored saying they had not seen the event take place or anything leading to it. Reports claim that one KGB interrogator entered the cell and said that if he confessed to the charges then he would make it to the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. The young and naive Streltsov believed this and so was charged and imprisoned for the offence. Qualifying countries In June 1954, the FIFA congress in Bern, Switzerland decided to award the 1958 Football World Cup to Sweden. ...

After the Labour camp

A reporter at the time remarked that he "lacked the pace he once had, but the natural skill was still there," after his return from the labour camp. He never spoke about his time in the labour camp and remained silent on the issue of whether he was guilty or innocent, except on his death bed, where he called his wife over and professed his innocence. This is because the Soviet government had threatened Streltsov with the murder of his entire family if he ever spoke the truth about his trial.

Legacy

Even now in Russia, they claim that there have only ever been two superstars in their countries history - Lev Yashin and Eduard Streltsov. Torpedo Moscow have a statue outside the stadium, and renamed their stadium after him. Lev Yashin Lev Ivanovich Yashin (Russian: Лев Ива́нович Я́шин) (October 22, 1929 - March 20, 1990) was a Russian Soviet football (soccer) goalkeeper, arguably the best ever in the sport, known for his supreme atheleticism in goal, imposing stature (he was 6 3, 190 cm) and amazing reflex saves. ...

Currently, there are people fighting to have the charges of rape posthumously over-turned to clear his name. Posthumous means after death. ...

Streltsov played 38 times for the Soviet national team, scoring 24 goals. In Russian football, the back-heel pass still bears his name.

A sign of how valuable he was to his national team's success can be found by comparing the times they played Sweden with and without him. With Streltsov, they cruised to a 6-0 thrashing against them, but in the World Cup (still with Yashin) they lost 2-0.

Death

Streltsov died in 1990 of cancer which many now believe was a result of his time working the gulag mines.

References

1. ^ Kuper, Simon: Football Against The Enemy, page 39. ISBN 0753805235