Argentine Antonio Rattín, a former Boca Juniors player whose act of defiance while representing Argentina at the 1966 World Cup helped lead to the introduction of yellow and red cards, has died, the country’s football federation said Saturday. He was 89.
Rattín died in Buenos Aires, according to the Argentine Football Association, or AFA, which expressed its “deepest sorrow at the passing of a historic symbol of Boca Juniors and the national team,” with whom he played in two World Cups.
A defensive midfielder known for his physical, hard-tackling style, Rattín won six Argentine league titles with Boca Juniors and was a Copa Libertadores runner-up in 1963.
“Rattín was one of us and loved these colours so much that they were the only ones he chose to defend throughout his 14-year career. A leader, an Argentine and forever a Bostero,” the club said.
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With Argentina, Rattín played at the 1962 World Cup in Chile and the 1966 tournament in England, and also finished runner-up in the Copa América twice.
In the quarterfinals of the 1966 World Cup, Argentina faced England at Wembley Stadium. In the 36th minute, Rattín protested a foul and was sent off for “verbal dissent.” At the time, referees did not use cards but instead verbally informed players that they had been dismissed.
As he left the pitch, Rattín crumpled one of the corner flags, which featured the design of the English flag. He then sat down on the red carpet reserved for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
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The two acts of protest sparked a barrage of objects thrown at him by fans from the stands.
In the wake of the confusing incident, and amid growing concern over the increasingly violent nature of the game, FIFA‘s refereeing authorities concluded that a practical, universally understood system was needed to communicate cautions and dismissals.
Kenneth George Aston, who headed FIFA’s refereeing committee, took inspiration from traffic lights and, in 1967, introduced the yellow and red cards that are still used today.
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Rattín’s defiant gesture at Wembley also marked the beginning of the football rivalry between Argentina and England. It reached its most iconic chapter in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when Argentina won thanks to Diego Maradona’s unforgettable goals — one scored with his hand, unnoticed by the referee, and the other after a brilliant solo run.
Argentina played Switzerland in another World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.
