One team in Tallinn
Encyclopedia
One team in Tallinn refers to a football
match scheduled for 9 October 1996 in World Cup qualifying European Group 4
between the national teams of Estonia
and Scotland
, which became very notable for the unusual circumstances whereby it was abandoned after 3 seconds, with the Estonian team absent from Tallinn's
Kadrioru Stadium.
, Belarus
, Latvia
and Sweden
. Both nations failed to get their campaign off to a winning start in August, Estonia losing 1–0 away to Belarus and Scotland drawing 0–0 away to Austria. On 5 October however, both won their games to leave just one point between the teams heading into the Tallinn meeting.
officials agreed with the Scottish delegation, and on the morning of the game the 1845 EET
kickoff time was rescheduled to 1500 EET. The Estonian delegation, unhappy with the logistical consequences of the switch, did not travel to the stadium. Scotland, unsure of the situation, prepared as normal (manager Craig Brown later said he had it in mind that the likeliest occurrence was for the Estonian team to show up late, to protest the decision, but for the game to go ahead anyway.)
supporters taking the unusual situation in good humour with the chant "One team in Tallinn, There's only one team in Tallinn". Billy Dodds
kicked the game off and captain John Collins took one touch of the ball before Radoman blew the whistle and abandoned the game.
Scotland line-up: Goram
, McNamara
, Boyd, Calderwood
, McKinlay
, Burley
, Lambert
, Collins (c), McGinlay
, Dodds
, Jackson
in Monaco
.
Scotland finished second in Group 4 behind Austria. Their 23 points meant they were the highest-placed runner-up in the European qualifying groups, meaning they qualified automatically and avoided the play-offs. Estonia finished 5th and did not qualify for the World Cup finals.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
match scheduled for 9 October 1996 in World Cup qualifying European Group 4
1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone .A total of 50 UEFA teams entered the competition. The European zone was allocated 15 places in the final tournament...
between the national teams of Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
and Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, which became very notable for the unusual circumstances whereby it was abandoned after 3 seconds, with the Estonian team absent from Tallinn's
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
Kadrioru Stadium.
Background
Estonia and Scotland were drawn in group 4 along with AustriaAustria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
, Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
, Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
and Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
. Both nations failed to get their campaign off to a winning start in August, Estonia losing 1–0 away to Belarus and Scotland drawing 0–0 away to Austria. On 5 October however, both won their games to leave just one point between the teams heading into the Tallinn meeting.
Pre-match controversy
Scotland trained at the Kadrioru stadium the night before the game, where they found the temporary floodlighting the game was to be played under inadequate and drew this to the attention of the officials. FIFAFIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
officials agreed with the Scottish delegation, and on the morning of the game the 1845 EET
Eastern European Time
Eastern European Time is one of the names of UTC+02:00 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in some European countries that also use Eastern European Summer Time as a summer daylight saving time.- Usage :...
kickoff time was rescheduled to 1500 EET. The Estonian delegation, unhappy with the logistical consequences of the switch, did not travel to the stadium. Scotland, unsure of the situation, prepared as normal (manager Craig Brown later said he had it in mind that the likeliest occurrence was for the Estonian team to show up late, to protest the decision, but for the game to go ahead anyway.)
Kickoff and abandonment
Referee Miroslav Radoman led the Scots out onto the pitch, with Scotland's Tartan ArmyTartan Army
The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work...
supporters taking the unusual situation in good humour with the chant "One team in Tallinn, There's only one team in Tallinn". Billy Dodds
Billy Dodds
William "Billy" Dodds is a Scottish former professional footballer, he was assistant manager at Dundee, but was made redundant when the club went into administration in October 2010, one of his former clubs...
kicked the game off and captain John Collins took one touch of the ball before Radoman blew the whistle and abandoned the game.
Scotland line-up: GoramAndy Goram
Andrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie"...
, McNamara
Jackie McNamara
Jackie McNamara is a Scottish football player and manager who currently manages Partick Thistle. He is a former Scottish international and has filled a variety of defensive roles in his career and captained Celtic under the management of Martin O'Neill.-Dunfermline Athletic:The son of former...
, Boyd, Calderwood
Colin Calderwood
Colin Calderwood is a Scottish football player and coach. In November 2011 he was appointed as Chris Hughton's assistant manager at Birmingham City....
, McKinlay
Tosh McKinlay
Thomas Valley "Tosh" McKinlay is a Scottish former international footballer. A fullback or wingback, he spent most of his career in Scotland.-Career:...
, Burley
Craig Burley
Craig William Burley is a Scottish former international association football player who played for clubs including Chelsea, Celtic and Derby County...
, Lambert
Paul Lambert
Paul Christopher Lambert is a Scottish football manager and former player who is the manager of Norwich City. He won numerous trophies as a player, winning the Scottish Cup with St...
, Collins (c), McGinlay
John McGinlay
John McGinlay is a Scottish former footballer who is perhaps best known for his spell at Bolton Wanderers in the mid to late 1990s.-Early Career:...
, Dodds
Billy Dodds
William "Billy" Dodds is a Scottish former professional footballer, he was assistant manager at Dundee, but was made redundant when the club went into administration in October 2010, one of his former clubs...
, Jackson
Darren Jackson
Darren Jackson is a Scottish former international footballer who played predominantly as a striker.- Career :...
Aftermath
Scotland initially believed that under tournament regulations they would be awarded the match by a default score of 3–0, but FIFA met on 7 November and ordered a replay on a neutral ground. The replay was played on 11 February 1997, and ended in a 0–0 draw at the Stade Louis IIStade Louis II
The Stade Louis II is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco. It serves primarily as a venue for football, being the home of AS Monaco and the Monaco national football team, as well as the location of the annual UEFA Super Cup match...
in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
.
Scotland finished second in Group 4 behind Austria. Their 23 points meant they were the highest-placed runner-up in the European qualifying groups, meaning they qualified automatically and avoided the play-offs. Estonia finished 5th and did not qualify for the World Cup finals.