Referee of the Sarriá tragedy was boycotted and escaped Nazism

For Brazilian fans, Abraham Klein is the referee who missed Claudio Gentile’s penalty in the Sarriá Tragedy in 1982. The image of the Brazilian number 10 showing the shirt torn by the Italian is one of the most emblematic of that World Cup.

The game in Barcelona, ​​won by Italy by 3 to 2, decreed the elimination of Telê Santana’s team. It was Klein’s last appearance in Hearts. To say just that is to reduce the history of those who lost family members in German concentration camps in World War II, had to flee their home country, were boycotted more than once by international federations and directed what is perhaps the greatest match in the history of the football.

Klein was born in Timisoara, Romania, in 1934, into a Jewish family of Hungarian origin. His parents managed to escape at the last moment from being sent to Auschwitz, the most famous Nazi concentration camp, but most of his relatives were not so lucky. As a child, he fled to Holland on a train journey that lasted three weeks. After a year, he settled in Israel.

The connection with football was in the blood. His father was a professional player. He played for MTK Budapest. When accompanying a friend to a match, there was no referee, and the boy Abraham was invited to referee. He enjoyed the experience and decided to take a course at the Israeli federation. He started running local games and turned international six years later.

He caught the attention of UEFA and FIFA observers in 1965 during a qualifying clash between Italy and Poland at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. His physical fitness made him follow the shots closely and use the advantage law to perfection. He had asked a friend to send him editions of the Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. Thus, he already knew in advance the characteristics of each player.

That’s when he realized he needed to know how to communicate with athletes. He became multilingual, fluent in Hungarian, Romanian, Hebrew, German, French, English, Spanish and Italian.

As a result, he was one of the designated referees for the World Cup in Mexico, in 1970. He ended up being selected for Brazil’s 1-0 victory over England. Klein would confess to having been so nervous before the match that he put his hands in his pockets shorts so that no one would notice her shaking.

Having Israeli citizenship would hinder his career. He was not chosen for the next tournament, in Germany, because, in 1972, during the Munich Olympics, a group of Palestinian terrorists murdered 11 Israeli athletes. In 1982, in Spain, the federations of Kuwait and Algeria tried to prevent him from being selected, without success. But the TV broadcast did not show Klein’s name before the games.

He also almost didn’t referee in Spain for another reason. In retaliation for an attack against the Israeli ambassador in London, the country launched a military operation in Lebanon. The referee’s eldest son, Amit, was drafted into the army.

Klein was in Spain not knowing whether his eldest son was dead or alive. He asked FIFA not to be selected. He had no psychological conditions to work. Just before the first game, he received a letter from Amit. He said he was fine and looking forward to seeing his father referee at the Worlds. He was cast in Brazil and Italy.

The Israeli could have been the referee of the 1978 Cup final in Argentina. It was the most quoted name, but ended up vetoed by interference from local leaders. In the first phase, he led Argentina against Italy. The Europeans won 1-0 and stripped the hosts (who claimed an unmarked penalty) of playing all games in Buenos Aires.

After directing Austria against Germany in the next phase, Klein was taken for granted in the decision, at the Monumental de Nuñez. Instead, he was chosen for the third-place decider, which once again set him on course for Brazil, who beat Italy 2-1.