Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Playa d'en London
Posts: 9825

Losing is not an option

~ No Surrender ~


When I was around fourteen, my grandfather told me the story regarding the Match of Death. This was the notorious football (soccer) match to which players of the Soviet side ‘Start’ – from Kiev – were invited by the occupying Nazis in August 1942 to compete in.

Football is only a game. Its been said that its “taking part” that’s important and not “winning”. In this case, it’s quite the opposite. I have been recently reminded of this tragic yet great tale having discovered that a movie based on the events that took place is currently in production.

I just wanted to share it with. This is basically the story:


The Germans had invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 and Kiev suffered great hardship in common with all the other Soviet cities in the grasp of Hitler’s forces. Members of the celebrated Dynamo Kiev side joined in the armed struggle against the invaders and many of them were subsequently captured and put to work in the number One bakery in Kiev, where they established a new team ‘Start FC’.

In a facile attempt to demonstrate their goodwill towards the beleaguered inhabitants of the city, the Nazi authorities challenged the Start team to a game with a German side. The Soviet players had little alternative but to accept the challenge and duly beat the invaders 5 – 3.

The humiliation was irritating to the invading forces and Starts next match was against sterner opposition – a side called PGS.

Start won 6 – 0.

The Germans still would not admit defeat and arranged another fixture, this time against the Hungarian team MSG. Start won the match 5 – 1, adding a second leg victory of 3 – 2 for good measure.

By now the team had become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to the Nazis and in desperation the invaders brought in the top German army side, Flakelf. The half-starved Soviets of Start remained undaunted and saw off Flakelf with a 2 – 1 victory.

The Nazis, cherishing their Aryan delusions, were incensed and ordered a replay – warning the Ukrainians they would be shot if they did not let the German side win.

The Soviet players were faced with a choice between death and national humiliation.

There was only one decision they felt they could make.

When they met Flakelf once more the Start players turned the game into such a massacre of their opponents that the referee ended the game early. Start thrashed the German side into oblivion.

As the Start team left the pitch they were immediately arrested. Two players were assigned to work duties, another escaped, and the rest were executed at Babi Yar, a ravine into which their bodies – still in football kit – were then thrown.

A statue to these tragic football martyrs was subsequently erected at Dynamo Kiev’s stadium after the war.

“The fact that our team lost must not be regarded as an achievement on the part of members of the Start team” – German Match Report.


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slide away, and give it all you've got - my today, fell in from the top...

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Nanaimo BC, Canada
Posts: 1525

Hah, just goes to prove that Germans were never any good at football.

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Anger=Red

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Sedona, Arizona
Posts: 19111

I am surprised that this story took this long to be made into a movie.
Maybe during the Great Asylum Gettogether we could have Death Matches.
Thumb wrestling to the death or something. It's a thought.

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Don't argue with me.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Essex, England
Posts: 4523

Bloody Germans!

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I don't have to sell my soul,
He's already in me.
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Just because I'm paranoid it doesn't mean that they aren't watching me!
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No sugar thanks, I'm sweet enough already!
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Stellar ownz me!!!

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Location Location
Posts: 26415

Wow. That's cool. I have never heard that. Great read.

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