As the 50th anniversary of Australia’s maiden World Cup Finals appearance against East Germany in Hamburg approaches on June 14, former Socceroo great, Ray Baartz, reflects with a tinge of pride and introspection.
Denied the opportunity of participating in Australian football’s finest moment due to the karate chop delivered to his neck by an opponent in the friendly match against Uruguay on April 27th, 1974 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Baartz was still included in the touring party for the tournament.
Up until this fateful match, Baartz had made 59 appearances and scored 21 goals for the Socceroos so his presence in the starting lineup was always a great motivation for his teammates.
The man who went to Manchester United in 1964 for two seasons was admired greatly by the legendary Red Devils manager, Sir Matt Busby, who wanted Baartz to stay at the club but due to homesickness he elected to return to his hometown, Newcastle, in 1966.
An international career cut short at the tender age of 27 when he had so much to offer the game was a bitter disappointment but in time Baartz accepted his plight that he could never play even after making a full recovery from the incident.
In this interview with Roger Sleeman, Ray Baartz reveals the circumstances around his inclusion in the 1974 touring party, his involvement in the Socceroo camp, his recollection of the first round group matches, the lasting memories of the tournament and the lessons which Australian football reaped.
ROGER SLEEMAN
What was your reaction when you were asked to travel to Germany with the squad for the Finals tournament?
RAY BAARTZ
When Rale Rasic first mentioned to me in the hospital after my injury against Uruguay that he wanted me to travel to Germany, I was thrilled.
The team played some warm up matches in Switzerland before I left with the official party of team officials who arrived in Hamburg just before the squad.
Some of the players hadn’t seen me since the Uruguay game, although a few had seen me in hospital.
It was a great feeling after what I’d been through to reunite with the players and coaching staff.
RS: When you arrived on German soil, did you receive attention from German and other foreign press?
RB: Not to a great extent but that was a bonus because I was still recovering from the long trip after the haemorrhaging from the angiogram to my groin, following my injury. Before the Uruguay game, a German film crew had followed me around in my daily activity as a sales representative.
Manfred Schaefer was also filmed in his role as a milkman by the same film crew. In Hamburg, the Australian media were really attentive and I saw them regularly in our accommodation and training camp.
RS: Before the first match against East Germany, what was your state of mind?
RB: I reflected on not being mentioned in the tactical team talk as I had been part of the plan for so long and had never been substituted or been on the bench. I actually covered the match on radio with the late Martin Royal so I was still excited for the players.
There were flashbacks to the previous qualifying games against Japan and South Korea and also the 1969 campaign when we travelled half way round the globe before succumbing to a very strong Israeli outfit. In that campaign, only one team qualified from Asia compared to the eight who will play in the 2026 World Cup Finals.
The memories of games played in Iran to the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution, South Korean martial law and the Vietnam war in 1967 still resonated strongly in my mind.
RS: What are your recollections of the match?
RB: East Germany were a product of the drug revolution and super human players who played like robots. Before the first goal which I believe was offside, we more than matched them and all our players performed well.
Remembering they beat West Germany, the eventual tournament winners, made the 2-0 scoreline more than respectable. A feature of the game was the tremendous support of the West German fans who were willing us to defeat their political arch rivals.
RS: The next match against West Germany was the toughest opponent the Socceroos had ever faced. What was your take on the match?
RB: The West Germans had world class players including (Franz) Beckenbauer, (Hans-Georg) Schwarzenbeck, (Paul) Breitner, (Wolfgang) Overath, (Uli) Hoeness and (Gerd) Muller so it was no disgrace to lose 3-0 to the eventual winners of the tournament.
In saying that, Noddy Alston had a one on one with Sepp Maier and hit his shot straight at the German keeper and Atti Abonyi hit the upright after he breached the West German defence. Col Curran stood out that day, Jimmy Mackay had an outstanding game, Ray Richards and Manfred Schaefer played the perfect role as ball winners and man markers, Jimmy Rooney played his usual mobile game and Peter Wilson led the team well despite the superiority of the opposition.
That day, the West Germans dominated with Beckenbauer acting as the conductor while never wasting a pass and leading the West German team to perfection.
RS: Should the team have achieved a result in the third group match against Chile?
RB: Before the match I predicted we could obtain a result because in previous matches against South American opponents like Santos, Mexico and Uruguay we were given more time on the ball in comparison to European opponents who exerted more pressure and were more aggressive.
The heavy rain on the day nullified the skills of the Chilean ball players and we could’ve won the game instead of settling for the 0-0 draw .However, we just couldn’t adapt to the conditions to find the net.
RS: What lessons were learned from the tournament?
RB: As part time players we knew we were up against it, despite our respectable results and it didn’t help that we were put in one of the toughest groups with the two German teams. It wasn’t until 1977 when the NSL (National Soccer League) started that the game became more professional, moving from part time football.
Nevertheless, most of the teams in the NSL weren’t full time professional but from the early 1980’s Australian players ventured overseas to further their careers which drastically improved the quality of the national team. In the 1974 squad, all players competed in Australia on a part time basis.
RS: What are your lasting memories of the tournament?
RB: I suppose I’ll never get over the fact I couldn’t play but I was fortunate to participate as an expert commentator on the ABC radio call of the three matches which did have me involved. When I first arrived in Hamburg, I‘ll never forget seeing the team bus painted in green and gold with “Australie” also painted on it.
It was a proud moment for me as I realised how fortunate I was to be an Aussie footballer and a part of that first qualification. When I first saw the amazing training facilities in Hamburg I understood how advanced football was in Europe.
Also, when the team ran onto the pitch against East Germany in the first Australian World Cup Finals match, I knew our game had finally arrived on the world stage. The fact there were only 16 teams in the tournament, and we were part of it, made it even more special.