 | |
| Species | Dog |
|---|---|
| Breed | Mixed Breed Collie |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 1962 or 1963 |
| Died | 1967 |
| Known for | finding the missing Jules Rimet Trophy |
| Owner | David Corbett |
| Awards | National Canine Defence League (silver medal) |
Pickles (born 1962 or 1963; died 1967) was a black and white collie dog, known for his role in finding the stolen Jules Rimet Trophy in March 1966, four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup was scheduled to kick off in England.
The World Cup trophy was stolen on the afternoon of Sunday 20 March 1966. It had been on public display in a glass cabinet during the "Sport with Stamps" Stanley Gibbons Stampex rare stamp exhibition at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster. The thief evaded the round-the-clock security, and ignored rare stamps with a value of £3 million to steal the silver-gilt trophy, which was generally thought to be worth far less. [1]
A telephone call from a man who called himself "Jackson" to Joe Mears, chairman of Chelsea F.C. and The Football Association, alerted him that a package would be left at Stamford Bridge the following day: it contained a £15,000 ransom demand, accompanied by the removable lining from the top of the trophy. The package was turned over to the police, who arranged to meet "Jackson". However, when they arrested the man who had mailed the package, whose real name was Edward Betchley, he claimed that he was a middleman, and that the real culprit was a man he called "The Pole". Betchley was eventually convicted for demanding money with menace, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. If indeed there were other persons involved in the theft, no one else has ever been found. [2]
The rest of the trophy was found on Sunday 27 March, just seven days after it was stolen, wrapped in newspaper lying by the front wheel of a parked car in Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, South London, by the four-year-old Pickles, while taking a walk with his owner, David Corbett, who worked as a Thames lighterman. [3] [4] Corbett briefly fell under suspicion of involvement in the theft. [5] When England won the trophy, Pickles was invited to the celebration banquet as a reward.
Corbett collected nearly £5,000 (equivalent to £118,000in 2023) as a reward. [6] He used the money to buy a house in Lingfield, Surrey in 1967. [7] Pickles was awarded the silver medal of the National Canine Defence League. [8]
The Football Association had a replica of the cup made in base metal (for publicity use) so the gold original could be kept safe. The original cup was awarded permanently to Brazil after the 1970 FIFA World Cup but it was stolen from the headquarters of Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro in December 1983 and never recovered. The replica was bought by FIFA at an auction in 1997 for £254,000, and it is held by the National Football Museum in Manchester.
Pickles starred with Eric Sykes and June Whitfield in the 1966 film The Spy with a Cold Nose . [9] He also appeared on several television programmes including Blue Peter . He was named "Dog of the Year" and awarded a year of free food by pet food manufacturer Spillers. [4]
Pickles died in 1967 when he was strangled by his choke chain lead that caught on a tree branch while he was chasing a cat near his new home in Surrey. [9] [4] He was buried in his owner's back garden [10] and his collar is on display in the National Football Museum in Manchester.
A fictional version of the story was told in a 2006 ITV drama written by Michael Chaplin, called Pickles: The Dog Who Won The World Cup; Pickles was voiced by Harry Enfield.[ citation needed ] A plaque was installed during England's 2018 World Cup campaign in woodland near the spot where Pickles found the trophy on Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood. The plaque was commissioned and put up by Adam Thoroughgood, a local resident. [11] It was later relocated to the doorway of the St Valery flats.
The game Reverse: 1999 has a playable character based on and named after Pickles, who is introduced during an event called "The Theft of the Rimet Cup".
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has been held every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to the Second World War. The reigning champions are Argentina, who won their third title at the 2022 tournament.
The FIFA World Cup is a gold trophy that is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup association football tournament. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two different trophies have been used: the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970 and thereafter the FIFA World Cup Trophy from 1974 to the present day. The production cost of the current trophy is estimated at $242,700.
The 1966 FIFA World Cup final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium in London on 30 July 1966 to determine the winner of the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth FIFA World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany, with England winning 4–2 after extra time to claim the Jules Rimet Trophy. It was the first – and to date only – occasion that England has hosted or won the World Cup.
The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 to 30 July 1966. England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the final to win their first ever World Cup title. The final was level at 2–2 after 90 minutes and went to extra time, when Geoff Hurst scored two goals to complete his hat-trick, the first to be scored in a men's World Cup final. Portuguese striker Eusébio was the tournament's top scorer, with nine goals clinching the golden boot with three goals more than second placed Helmut Haller. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II during the opening ceremony.
Jules Rimet was a French football administrator who was the 3rd President of FIFA, serving from 1921 to 1954. He is FIFA's longest-serving president, in office for 33 years. He also served as the president of the French Football Federation from 1919 to 1942.
Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon. The eastern part of it is better known as the Crystal Palace area. The SE19 London postcode covers the entirety of the district.
Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many types have a distinctive white color over the shoulders. Collies are very active and agile, and most types of collies have a very strong herding instinct. Collie breeds have spread through many parts of the world, and have diversified into many varieties, sometimes mixed with other dog types.
A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athletics. Additionally, trophies are presented for achievements in Academic, Arts and Entertainment, Business, Military, Professional awards, Community Service, Hunting, and Environmental accomplishments. In many contexts, especially in sports, medals are often given out either as the trophy or along with more traditional trophies.
The National Football Museum is England's national museum of football. It is based in the Urbis building in Manchester city centre, and preserves, conserves and displays important collections of football memorabilia.
South Norwood is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey. It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, north of Woodside and Addiscombe, east of Selhurst and Thornton Heath, south of Crystal Palace/Upper Norwood and Anerley, and south-west of Penge.
The FIFA World Cup was first held in 1930, when FIFA, the world's football governing body, decided to stage an international men's football tournament under the era of FIFA president Jules Rimet who put this idea into place. Jules Rimet was the president of FIFA from 1921 to 1954. Rimet was appreciated so much for bringing the idea of FIFA to life that 1946 the trophy was named the Jules Rimet Cup instead of the World Cup Trophy. The inaugural edition, held in 1930, was contested as a final tournament of only thirteen teams invited by the organization. Since then, the World Cup has experienced successive expansions and format remodeling, with its current 48-team final tournament preceded by a two-year qualifying process, involving over 200 teams from around the world.
John "Joe" Mears was chairman of Chelsea Football Club and the Football Association.
The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.
The A215 is an A road in south London, starting at Elephant and Castle and finishing around Shirley. It runs through the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Croydon.
The Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to the winner of the football World Cup, was stolen in 1966 prior to the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. The trophy was later recovered by a dog named Pickles who was later commended and gained a cult following for his heroism. One man was convicted for being involved but other possible culprits are still unidentified. The trophy was eventually won by the host nation England.
Dog theft is the crime of taking a dog from its owner. The theft of a dog to be held for ransom may be called dognapping, by analogy with kidnapping.
Ottorino Barassi was an Italian sports official.
The 1970 FIFA World Cup final was held on Sunday, 21 June, in the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, to determine the winner of the 1970 FIFA World Cup. This final, between Brazil and Italy, marked the first time that two former world champions met in a final; Italy had previously won the World Cup in 1934 and 1938, while Brazil won in 1958 and 1962.
Stampex is a British stamp show held at the Business Design Centre (BDC) in Islington, London. The show is organised by the Philatelic Traders Society (PTS) through their company The Philatelic Traders’ Society Limited company and has been running for many years.
The Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen for the second time in 1983. Unlike the first theft in 1966, the trophy has never been recovered.