Bogotá Bracelet
Encyclopedia
The Bogotá Bracelet incident took place in May 1970 when Bobby Moore
, the captain of the England national football team
, was detained in Colombia
for four days after being accused of stealing a bracelet
from a jewellery shop located in the Bogotá
hotel in which the team were staying.
The arrest took place in the build-up to the World Cup Finals
where England were to defend the cup they had won in 1966. It provoked widespread reaction in the United Kingdom
, including a diplomatic intervention at the behest of the British Prime Minister
Harold Wilson
, and across the world in general.
On 28 May, Moore was conditionally released and flew to join his team-mates in Mexico where he played in all of England's World Cup matches. The Colombian authorities came to the conclusion that Moore was innocent of any wrongdoing, but the case was not formally closed until 1972.
being held in Mexico that summer, the England football team planned to play two friendly matches in South America
to help them prepare for the high altitudes they would face once the tournament began.
They were scheduled to play first in Colombia, on 20 May, and then in Ecuador on 24 May. England left their forward base in Mexico City on 18 June and arrived in the Colombian capital Bogotá, checking in to the Hotel Tequendama.
of the hotel was a gift shop selling jewellery known as the Fuego Verde (Green Fire). A number of the English players visited the store at one point or another, browsing for gifts to take home. At 6.25pm, Moore went in with Bobby Charlton to look for a present for Charlton’s wife. Team doctor Neil Phillips was also in the shop as at one point was Peter Thompson.
After looking at some of the items in the display cases, Moore and Charlton found nothing that interested them and left again. They were standing in the foyer when the assistant in the shop, Clara Padilla, came out and accused them as having stolen a valuable bracelet from a display case. Moore and Charlton protested their innocence and offered to allow themselves to be searched.
Despite their denials, Padilla repeatedly identified them as the culprits of the alleged theft. Soon tourist police and hotel staff were on hand, as were most of the English players. Doctor Phillips went to fetch Alf Ramsey
. When he arrived, Ramsey took charge of the situation and spoke to the authorities. Moore and Charlton were briefly questioned, and made an official statement.
This appeared to have cleared the matter up, and they even received apologies for the inconvenience. The match against Colombia
went ahead, and England won the game 4-0, with Moore and Charlton both playing. By a gentlemen's agreement
, the travelling British sports journalists agreed not to mention the incident.
in Quito
and won 2-0 there. England were scheduled to fly back to Mexico City via Bogotá, where there would be a four and a half hour stopover. Neil Phillips suggested that to avoid any further problems they should take an alternative route via Panama City
. Both Ramsey and Moore rejected this idea, as they felt it would indicate wrongdoing and England took their arranged flight back to Bogotá.
They checked into the same hotel where the bracelet incident had taken place. To fill the time up while they waited for their flight the team sat down to watch the film Shenandoah
. As they were sitting there two plainclothes Colombian police officers quietly took Moore out and formally arrested him for theft.
The Colombian police had acted after a new witness Alvaro Suarez had come forward, claiming to have seen Moore take the bracelet. Only lobbying by the British ambassador had stopped Moore from being arrested at the airport in front of cameras. Suarez said he saw what happened through the shop window and supported the version of Clara Padilla.
As it became clear that Moore might be detained for some time, Ramsey decided that, with the World Cup just a few days away from beginning he had to go on to Mexico without his captain. Two FA officials were to remain in Bogotá to assist Moore, and further help was provided by British Embassy officials.
Neither Bobby Charlton or Peter Thompson were arrested, despite their presence in the shop at the time of the incident, and they left the hotel along with the rest of the squad and boarded the plane. Many of the other players hadn’t noticed or realised the significance of Moore’s absence, as he was often called away to do interviews or meet people. Once they had taken off, Ramsey explained what had happened to the players, staff and press.
The public relations
problems of the English were further added to when Jeff Astle
, who hated flying, had several drinks to calm his nerves. Astle was clearly intoxicated once they reached Mexico City, and had to be helped along by his team mates. This led one Mexican newspaper to brand the English “a team of drunks and thieves”.
s, Moore would be kept under house arrest
at the home belonging to the Director of the Colombian Football Federation
. He would be allowed to train, so he could keep up his fitness
, although he was constantly followed by armed police guards. In press reports there was initially some confusion about the fact that the alleged theft and Moore’s arrest had taken place several days apart.
The arrest sparked international media attention. Interest in the incident was stoked by the fact that Moore was a particularly well-known footballer generally respected throughout the game. In Britain there was massive press interest in Moore’s wife Tina, who was shortly due to go out and watch England play in Mexico, and she was followed by a crowd of journalists wherever she went.
Generally Moore was perceived to be innocent. Ramsey expressed his own belief in his captain. “I should have thought that the integrity of this man would be enough to answer these charges. It is too ridiculous for words”. The former Brazil coach Joao Saldanha
observed that when he had stayed at the hotel with his team Botafogo
they had experienced a similar incident - in which jewellry had been hidden on them and money demanded in order to avoid a scandal. Saldanha described the allegations against Moore as “disgraceful” and “slander”.
In the England camp many of the players considered the charge ridiculous and treated it as a joke. Ramsey was more concerned as the matter disrupted his carefully planned preparations for the World Cup, and made a contingency plan to play Norman Hunter in Moore’s central defensive role and make Alan Mullery
the team’s captain. He was facing up to the possibility that he might lose Moore for the entire World Cup.
In Bogotá, Moore was taken before a judge, Justice Peter Dorado, and questioned for four hours. Moore denied he knew anything about the theft or had even ever seen the bracelet in question. Confused by the conflicting claims, Justice Dorado arranged for the authorities to stage a re-enactment of the incident with Moore and Padilla. Her version was undermined as she claimed that Moore had slipped the bracelet into the left-hand pocket of his blazer
, and it was demonstrated that the blazer had no pocket on the left side. She then changed various parts of her story and eventually left in tears. It was also questioned why the fresh witness, Alvaro Suarez waited four days to come forward. There were also conflicting suggestions about the value of the bracelet. Initially it was said to be valued around £500, but later it is claimed to be worth £5,000, while the owner of the shop requested £6,000 in compensation. As Moore was driven back from the re-enactment, cries of “Viva Bobby” could be heard from the streets.
Harold Wilson had hoped that a strong performance by England at the World Cup would boost the chances of his governing Labour Party being re-elected in the 1970 General Election. Wilson was so concerned by Moore’s arrest that he requested repeated lobbying of the Colombian government by the British embassy in Bogotá
. The Colombians were wary of creating what was fast becoming a diplomatic incident.
Moore was given a conditional release that required him to report to the Colombian consulate in Mexico, although this was abandoned soon afterwards with an official stating “It was an accusation that needed proof. “It was never proved. Moore has no obligation with the embassy. There was never much case”.
Moore arrived in Mexico City and then flew on to Guadalajara
where the English were preparing to play their opening match against Romania
on 2 June. He was greeted warmly at the airport by Ramsey. Moore was taken back to the England team hotel where he was greeted by the other players lined up in a guard of honour
to applaud him. On 2 June he captained England to a 1-0 victory against Romania.
. Ramsey later told a journalist that the incident had been the worst thing that ever happened to him in all his years of football.
In October 1970, the Colombian authorities re-opened the case but could find nothing to prove there had ever been a theft. Moore and Charlton had to attend a hearing at Bow Street Magistrates Court after which the case was formally closed in 1972. Despite being cleared the incident continued to dog Moore, and it has been suggested as a major reason why he was never awarded a knighthood. The Feugo Verde shop closed soon afterwards and Clara Padilla ended up fleeing to the United States
.
A general consensus exists that the incident was an attempted frame-up, either to try and secure money from the England camp or possibly to have Moore ruled out of the World Cup, weakening England’s chances of winning it. Another theory has occasionally been proposed, that a bracelet was taken by one of the other England players, possibly as part of a prank, and that Moore took the blame to protect them. This was given credence by a comment that Moore made shortly before his death, that seemed to hint at this, when he told biographer Jeff Powell “Perhaps one of the lads did something foolish, a prank with unfortunate consequences”. However, this theory has been dismissed by Tina Moore, his wife at the time, and by Doctor Phillips.
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
, the captain of the England national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, was detained in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
for four days after being accused of stealing a bracelet
Bracelet
A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from metal, leather, cloth, plastic or other materials and sometimes contain jewels, rocks, wood, and/or shells...
from a jewellery shop located in the Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
hotel in which the team were staying.
The arrest took place in the build-up to the World Cup Finals
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
where England were to defend the cup they had won in 1966. It provoked widespread reaction in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, including a diplomatic intervention at the behest of the British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
, and across the world in general.
On 28 May, Moore was conditionally released and flew to join his team-mates in Mexico where he played in all of England's World Cup matches. The Colombian authorities came to the conclusion that Moore was innocent of any wrongdoing, but the case was not formally closed until 1972.
Background
As part of their preparations for the 1970 FIFA World Cup1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
being held in Mexico that summer, the England football team planned to play two friendly matches in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
to help them prepare for the high altitudes they would face once the tournament began.
They were scheduled to play first in Colombia, on 20 May, and then in Ecuador on 24 May. England left their forward base in Mexico City on 18 June and arrived in the Colombian capital Bogotá, checking in to the Hotel Tequendama.
Alleged theft
Although the various accounts of the incident differ somewhat in exactly details, the basic outline of what happened is all the same. Located near the foyerFoyer
A foyer or lobby is a large, vast room or complex of rooms adjacent to the auditorium...
of the hotel was a gift shop selling jewellery known as the Fuego Verde (Green Fire). A number of the English players visited the store at one point or another, browsing for gifts to take home. At 6.25pm, Moore went in with Bobby Charlton to look for a present for Charlton’s wife. Team doctor Neil Phillips was also in the shop as at one point was Peter Thompson.
After looking at some of the items in the display cases, Moore and Charlton found nothing that interested them and left again. They were standing in the foyer when the assistant in the shop, Clara Padilla, came out and accused them as having stolen a valuable bracelet from a display case. Moore and Charlton protested their innocence and offered to allow themselves to be searched.
Despite their denials, Padilla repeatedly identified them as the culprits of the alleged theft. Soon tourist police and hotel staff were on hand, as were most of the English players. Doctor Phillips went to fetch Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
. When he arrived, Ramsey took charge of the situation and spoke to the authorities. Moore and Charlton were briefly questioned, and made an official statement.
This appeared to have cleared the matter up, and they even received apologies for the inconvenience. The match against Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
went ahead, and England won the game 4-0, with Moore and Charlton both playing. By a gentlemen's agreement
Gentlemen's agreement
A gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette. The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties...
, the travelling British sports journalists agreed not to mention the incident.
Arrest
After their win in Bogotá, England then proceeded on to their match against EcuadorEcuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
in Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
and won 2-0 there. England were scheduled to fly back to Mexico City via Bogotá, where there would be a four and a half hour stopover. Neil Phillips suggested that to avoid any further problems they should take an alternative route via Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
. Both Ramsey and Moore rejected this idea, as they felt it would indicate wrongdoing and England took their arranged flight back to Bogotá.
They checked into the same hotel where the bracelet incident had taken place. To fill the time up while they waited for their flight the team sat down to watch the film Shenandoah
Shenandoah (film)
Shenandoah is a 1965 American Civil War film starring James Stewart, Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne, and Katharine Ross. The picture was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Though set during the American Civil War, the film's strong antiwar and humanitarian themes resonated with audiences...
. As they were sitting there two plainclothes Colombian police officers quietly took Moore out and formally arrested him for theft.
The Colombian police had acted after a new witness Alvaro Suarez had come forward, claiming to have seen Moore take the bracelet. Only lobbying by the British ambassador had stopped Moore from being arrested at the airport in front of cameras. Suarez said he saw what happened through the shop window and supported the version of Clara Padilla.
As it became clear that Moore might be detained for some time, Ramsey decided that, with the World Cup just a few days away from beginning he had to go on to Mexico without his captain. Two FA officials were to remain in Bogotá to assist Moore, and further help was provided by British Embassy officials.
Neither Bobby Charlton or Peter Thompson were arrested, despite their presence in the shop at the time of the incident, and they left the hotel along with the rest of the squad and boarded the plane. Many of the other players hadn’t noticed or realised the significance of Moore’s absence, as he was often called away to do interviews or meet people. Once they had taken off, Ramsey explained what had happened to the players, staff and press.
The public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
problems of the English were further added to when Jeff Astle
Jeff Astle
Jeffrey "The King" Astle was an English footballer. He played 361 games for West Bromwich Albion, scoring 174 goals, and was one of the most iconic players in the history of the club...
, who hated flying, had several drinks to calm his nerves. Astle was clearly intoxicated once they reached Mexico City, and had to be helped along by his team mates. This led one Mexican newspaper to brand the English “a team of drunks and thieves”.
Detention
Moore was held in a room in the Bogotá police headquarters while his fate was decided. He was ultimately charged, and faced with prosecution for theft. In light of the special circumstances, it was arranged that, rather than be sent to one of the city’s prisonPrison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s, Moore would be kept under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
at the home belonging to the Director of the Colombian Football Federation
Colombian Football Federation
The Colombian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Colombia. It was founded in 1924 and has been affiliated to FIFA since 1936...
. He would be allowed to train, so he could keep up his fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
, although he was constantly followed by armed police guards. In press reports there was initially some confusion about the fact that the alleged theft and Moore’s arrest had taken place several days apart.
The arrest sparked international media attention. Interest in the incident was stoked by the fact that Moore was a particularly well-known footballer generally respected throughout the game. In Britain there was massive press interest in Moore’s wife Tina, who was shortly due to go out and watch England play in Mexico, and she was followed by a crowd of journalists wherever she went.
Generally Moore was perceived to be innocent. Ramsey expressed his own belief in his captain. “I should have thought that the integrity of this man would be enough to answer these charges. It is too ridiculous for words”. The former Brazil coach Joao Saldanha
João Saldanha
João Alves Jobin Saldanha was a journalist and football manager. He coached the Brazil national football team during the South American Qualifying to the 1970 FIFA World Cup....
observed that when he had stayed at the hotel with his team Botafogo
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas , also known as Botafogo and familiarly as Estrela Solitária, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, best known for its football team. They play in the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro's state league, and the Campeonato...
they had experienced a similar incident - in which jewellry had been hidden on them and money demanded in order to avoid a scandal. Saldanha described the allegations against Moore as “disgraceful” and “slander”.
In the England camp many of the players considered the charge ridiculous and treated it as a joke. Ramsey was more concerned as the matter disrupted his carefully planned preparations for the World Cup, and made a contingency plan to play Norman Hunter in Moore’s central defensive role and make Alan Mullery
Alan Mullery
Alan Patrick Mullery MBE is a former English football player and manager. After enjoying a successful career with Fulham and in the 1960s and 1970s, he became a manager working with several different clubs. He is now employed as a television pundit...
the team’s captain. He was facing up to the possibility that he might lose Moore for the entire World Cup.
In Bogotá, Moore was taken before a judge, Justice Peter Dorado, and questioned for four hours. Moore denied he knew anything about the theft or had even ever seen the bracelet in question. Confused by the conflicting claims, Justice Dorado arranged for the authorities to stage a re-enactment of the incident with Moore and Padilla. Her version was undermined as she claimed that Moore had slipped the bracelet into the left-hand pocket of his blazer
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
, and it was demonstrated that the blazer had no pocket on the left side. She then changed various parts of her story and eventually left in tears. It was also questioned why the fresh witness, Alvaro Suarez waited four days to come forward. There were also conflicting suggestions about the value of the bracelet. Initially it was said to be valued around £500, but later it is claimed to be worth £5,000, while the owner of the shop requested £6,000 in compensation. As Moore was driven back from the re-enactment, cries of “Viva Bobby” could be heard from the streets.
Harold Wilson had hoped that a strong performance by England at the World Cup would boost the chances of his governing Labour Party being re-elected in the 1970 General Election. Wilson was so concerned by Moore’s arrest that he requested repeated lobbying of the Colombian government by the British embassy in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. The Colombians were wary of creating what was fast becoming a diplomatic incident.
Release
On 28 May, Moore was taken before Justice Dorado and told there was insufficient evidence for a prosecution and he was to be set free. Moore released a statement “I am happy to be set free and the allegations against me turned out to be groundless”. He promised to further co-operate with the Colombian authorities and thanked the Colombian people “for the many expressions of sympathy and support which I have received from them in the last few days”.Moore was given a conditional release that required him to report to the Colombian consulate in Mexico, although this was abandoned soon afterwards with an official stating “It was an accusation that needed proof. “It was never proved. Moore has no obligation with the embassy. There was never much case”.
Moore arrived in Mexico City and then flew on to Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
where the English were preparing to play their opening match against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
on 2 June. He was greeted warmly at the airport by Ramsey. Moore was taken back to the England team hotel where he was greeted by the other players lined up in a guard of honour
Guard of honour
A guard of honour is a ceremonial event practice in military and sports as a mark of respect.-Military:In the military a guard of honour is a ceremonial practice to honour visiting foreign dignitaries, or the fallen in war, or a ceremony for public figures who have died.The commander is three paces...
to applaud him. On 2 June he captained England to a 1-0 victory against Romania.
Aftermath
England went out of the World Cup in the Quarter Final stage after losing 3-2 to West Germany. Bobby Moore was widely praised for his performances in the tournament, especially in England's group stage match against BrazilBrazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. Ramsey later told a journalist that the incident had been the worst thing that ever happened to him in all his years of football.
In October 1970, the Colombian authorities re-opened the case but could find nothing to prove there had ever been a theft. Moore and Charlton had to attend a hearing at Bow Street Magistrates Court after which the case was formally closed in 1972. Despite being cleared the incident continued to dog Moore, and it has been suggested as a major reason why he was never awarded a knighthood. The Feugo Verde shop closed soon afterwards and Clara Padilla ended up fleeing to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
A general consensus exists that the incident was an attempted frame-up, either to try and secure money from the England camp or possibly to have Moore ruled out of the World Cup, weakening England’s chances of winning it. Another theory has occasionally been proposed, that a bracelet was taken by one of the other England players, possibly as part of a prank, and that Moore took the blame to protect them. This was given credence by a comment that Moore made shortly before his death, that seemed to hint at this, when he told biographer Jeff Powell “Perhaps one of the lads did something foolish, a prank with unfortunate consequences”. However, this theory has been dismissed by Tina Moore, his wife at the time, and by Doctor Phillips.