Remember ‘The Disgrace of Gijon’? Algeria and Austria Have Done it Again (But Worse)

Austria and Algeria Spark Match-Fixing Allegations and Iran Agenda

The title of the article is a little misleading. Having occurred in 1982, the Disgrace of Gijon took place 44 years ago now, meaning that only the most seasoned football followers in our audience will remember the events of that day.

With West Germany scoring just one goal against Austria in their final group game, a result that ensured both sides got through to the knockout rounds, it was a mutual match-rigging that saw teams criticised, rules altered, and the entire World Cup format changed in its wake.

In 1982, Germany and Austria played the infamous Disgrace of Gijón, engineering the exact result both needed to advance while eliminating Algeria. The scandal was so great it changed the World Cup forever.

44 years later, history has repeated itself. Algeria and Austria got the… pic.twitter.com/msIBK1gDuo

— 𓄂 Iman 𓆃 🇮🇷🇺🇸 (@imanshrf1) June 28, 2026

Now, 44 years later, some are suggesting we have a new instalment in the saga after Austria dramatically sealed a 3-3 draw with Algeria with the final kick of the game – with so many goals going in, many claim that it is almost impossible to rig or influence a game with so much offensive focus, but others say that the way in which Austria came about their late equaliser was suspicious in the extreme.

Let’s walk you through it.

The Original

The disgrace of Gijon became famous before the game had even finished. With Algeria having played their final group game before Austria and Germany, both sides knew that a German win by two goals or less meant that both got through to the next round, and soon after Horst Hrubesch's 10th-minute goal to give the West Germans the lead, it became clear that something was amiss.

Neither side was playing remotely entertaining football – they were taking seemingly deliberate loose touches, missing shots by a matter of metres, and playing with a general lack of purpose that indicated both were happy with the result as it was.

West German commentator Eberhard Stanjek refused to commentate after a period in a show of defiance, while Austrian commentator Robert Seeger implored viewers to turn off their TV sets, the spectacle nothing more than a training ground exercise, completely devoid of entertainment.

The story famous in every Algerian household. https://t.co/XApIfxZR9S pic.twitter.com/xFOjtei8jo

— Lyés (@LyesBouzidi10) June 28, 2026

After the game, West German players headed back to their hotel only to be met with great hostility by football fans, who took out their frustrations by throwing eggs and other objects their way.

Algeria, who were eliminated in the group stage thanks to the alleged collusion, even lodged a complaint against both sides and the referee, but FIFA was unable to prove that any rules had officially been broken and so declined to take any action.

However, it did change the way in which FIFA organised their final group-stage games. Since the 1986 World Cup, the final round of fixtures in every group has been played simultaneously, rendering the ability to know what is needed before kick almost impotent.

So how did Austria and Algeria manage to repeat the trick despite this new measure?

Remastery

44 years on, Algeria was involved yet again. However, instead of being on the receiving end, they were the ones seemingly dishing out the alleged corruption, with Iran the unlucky party on this occasion.

Even without the late controversy, Algeria and Austria played out one of the games of the World Cup so far – both went at it tooth and nail, daring each other to pour men forwards and risk exposing themselves at the back. Both needed goals, and both were going for them.

Marko Arnautovic sparked the goalfest with a composed finish in the 28th minute, a goal that was cancelled out thanks to an emphatic high finish by Algerian full-back Rafik Belghali. Marcel Sabitzer then restored Austria’s lead with a powerful slotted effort on the 55-minute mark before Riyad Mahrez pulled Algeria back level once again five minutes later with the right-place, right-time type of goal he became so renowned for during his time in the Premier League.

Then things got interesting. Both were throwing men forwards, taking risks, and going for all three points, and in the 93rd minute, a second Riyad Mahrez goal looked set to secure Algeria all three points and a second-place finish in the group stage.

However, in the dying seconds, Austria’s Sasa Kalajdzic, completely unmarked in the middle of the Algerian penalty box, was allowed to nod home the simplest of headers with the last kick of the game, bringing the score to 3-3 and ensuring both finished on four points to go through to the knockouts.

Naturally, the conspiracy theorists emerged in droves, claiming that it was the biggest miscarriage in footballing justice since the original disgrace 44 years prior.

Credible reports indicate that South Korea has filed a complaint with FIFA demanding an urgent investigation into the Algeria-Austria match, suspecting match-fixing.

If the investigation confirms wrongdoing, it is expected that both teams could be disqualified and replaced by… pic.twitter.com/GykhMX5cAa

— ViralMind (@ViralMindLive) June 28, 2026

They pointed to the fact that before Arnautovic’s goal 30 minutes in, neither side had registered a shot on target and that neither side ever found themselves in front by more than a goal or for longer than 17 minutes.

They also pointed to various whispers shared between Algerian teammates after Riyad Mahrez’s stoppage-time goal, as Aïssi Manda took aside the goalscorer to speak in his ear. Many are speculating that he is saying a draw is a better result – had Algeria gone on to win, Spain would be their round of 32 opponents, while Switzerland would await them with a draw.

It is impossible to confirm whether or not Algeria conceded Kalajdzic’s 96th-minute equaliser with deliberate intent, but it all certainly seems very convenient, as we know which draw we would rather back for the knockout rounds.

There is also the matter of Iran being the side being pushed out of the tournament. Sitting in the final third-place qualification spot, it was common knowledge that a draw would see them sent home early. With tensions extremely high between the Middle Eastern nation and the US, there is every possibility that the host nation wished to get rid of their sworn enemies at the first available opportunity.

It is entirely possible that the US rigged the game in order to send Iran back home in a bid to avoid further potential controversies or disagreements that could threaten to cast a shadow over the tournament.

The claims become increasingly harder to deny the deeper you dig. With the score level at 2-2, both sides were clearly happy to sit back and aimlessly pass the ball between defenders, with the magic man out wide and up front barely getting a sniff of the ball.

Algeria: WC Record Passing Goal

In a moment of the match with nothing to play for with both teams qualifying in injury time:
> Algeria take a throw-in
> 100+ Passes
> 5min 32secs of Uninterrupted Possession
> Mahrez Finishing the Move

Safe to say, a record that will not be… pic.twitter.com/rxuTTf0rsT

— John Walker (@johnwalker_1986) June 28, 2026

It was more a stroke of luck than anything else that Mahrez found himself in a goalscoring position, his seemingly accidentally finding a pass through the lines without truly meaning to split Austria open.

Then, when they shockingly found themselves ahead in the dying seconds of the game, it seemed that Algeria’s backline suddenly forgot how to defend – they sent five men out to deal with a potential cross, and yet no one was marking the only serious aerial threat in Kalajdzic, a decision which, in any other match state, would have been described as coming back to bite them.

Not on this occasion, though. Going by the heated exchanges on the touchlines between the two dugouts after Algeria’s third, it appeared that the two sides had an agreement in place, one that was broken by Algeria with their first goal.

Marko Arnautovic was in the thick of the action, pointing fingers at the Algerian manager in a “you know what you did” type of way, while on the pitch there were scenes of jubilant celebration as Austria sealed a point they had deserved and had perhaps predetermined.

Selon certains, la réaction des Autrichiens après le but de l'Algérie🇩🇿 laisse penser qu'il y avait un accord préalable. Cette vidéo est présentée comme un élément à l'appui de cette interprétation. pic.twitter.com/36AsvviToQ

— ENDM Trolls (@ENDMTrolls_) June 28, 2026

It was truly bizarre; around the world, Algerian fans were celebrating Austria’s late equaliser, which pivoted them away from a match with Spain, and the players on the pitch, perhaps realising that it was not in their best interests to win the game, eased off, and allowed Austria to dictate the remainder of the game.

Riyad Mahrez’s post-match press conference told the entire story.

_“The ball arrives (to me) in front of the keeper and I have to score – I have to try and score. I know it’s an awkward situation, but it’s football, and I have to respect it.”

“And the good thing – well, the good thing for them (Austria) – is that they score and they qualify. We both qualify, and that is the most important thing.”_

Riyad Mahrez on scoring what looked like the winning goal for Algeria against Austria:

“It was a bit awkward, to be honest. We were playing wide and they were sitting, but in the last minute someone plays a ball, he turns, and I have to make the run. I have to respect football.…

— Oliver Kay (@OliverKay) June 28, 2026

In 1982, West Germany went on to be one of the main protagonists of the tournament, reaching the final before eventually finishing as runners-up to Italy. While neither Algeria nor Austria looks like playing such a major part at the 2026 tournament, the outcome, and the outcry it has sparked, has the potential to change the way the group stages work.

Soon enough FIFA will be trying to employ a system where all 48 teams are playing their final group game at once, meaning that no one can know what is required beforehand and that there is no way of knowing who they will be playing in the knockouts, removing the need for any of the nonsense we saw yesterday.

While it wasn’t the disgrace of Gijon, which will never be topped in terms of fame, notoriety and what it did for the development of the game, fans have already branded Algeria and Austria’s controversial 3-3 draw as the “Disgrace of Kansas City 2026”, and going off the countless reasons both sides had to draw, it is hard to argue.