SALUTES YOU, SIR STANLEY.

On May 14th, 1938 Hitler had just marched into Austria and the British ambassador in Berlin, Sir Neville Henderson, encouraged the English football team to give the Nazi salute at the start of their match against the Germans.
Prior to the game, Stanley Matthews and Bert Spronston had been in a nearby cafe when diners scrambled towards the windows to catch a glimpse of Hitler driving by. Everyone was very excited, there was a lot of noise and people giving the salute. The salute was a gesture of faith in Germany, and one of provocation elsewhere.
The magnificent Olympic Stadium in Berlin, built for the Games in 1936 was filled with 120,00 people. The day was sweltering, the atmosphere intense when the FA representative, Sir Stanley Rous, gave his international team the order to salute at the playing of the German national anthem and although the team was not in agreement they carried out their orders, after a hesitation and treated the gesture as a bit of fun.
Embarrassed by having to do this, the team were fuelled into action.
The Germans had been away in training camp in the Black Forest and the English were pallid and jaded after a full Football League season. But the few English supporters in the stadium gave the English heart and Matthews mesmerized the German full back Munzenberg assisting and scoring a goal.
In the official stand, Rous was sporting an old pullover and binoculars, sitting next to Goering. As another English goal went in he suggested that Goering would get a better view if he had used his bins! Like  Hitler when he saw the brilliant American, Jesse Owens' influence on the Olympics, Goering was not amused
England won 6-3.