THE PAPER MAN FOUND DEAD

Matthias Sindelar, "der Papierene", the Paper Man, was the cutting edge of the greatest international team in the World, in the 1930s: Austria's "Wunderteam". They announced themselves in 1931 May, before going on to  beat a highly regarded Scottish team 5-0, before going on to cut a swathe through Europe over the next year, beating arch-rivals, Germany 6-0 and 5-0; Switzerland 2-0 and 8-1, Hungary 8-2 after a 2-2 draw and Italy 2-1.

Sidelar was the star of the side, a wiry striker who score 27 goals in 43 matches. The 1934 World Cup came too late of the aptly named "Wunderteam", although pre-tournament friendlies recorded wins over Switzerland 3-2, Hungary 5-2 and Italy 4-2. At the World Cup, Austria made the Semi-finals but Sindelar was overpowered by Italian midfielder Luis Monti and they lost by a single goal. A bitter third place play off against Germany was lost, with defender Karl Sesta, showboating by sitting on the ball, only to be robbed of it and forced to watch in horror as the decisive goal flew into his net.

By the time the next World Cup came round, Austria had been "swallowed up" by the Anschluss and Sindelar had reportedly refused to play for the new "Greater Germany" team. Germany were eliminated in the first round by Switzerland, without being able to benefit from the talents of the Austrian star, who became the target of hate. 

But Matthias Sindelar was not forgotten: the funeral of the footballer who said no to Nazism drew 15,000 people and, since then, every 23 January, a tribute has been paid at his grave.                            His final game for Austria was against Germany in the infamous April 1938 "Alliance Game" in a 2-0 win, in which he scored the first and if some sources are to be believed, celebrated the other goal by dancing round the Nazi dignitaries watching the game! This was not reported in the Nazi paper, Volkischer Beobachter.               

Less than a year after the game, Sindelar was found dead, gassed in his flat alongside his girlfriend of ten days! Did the Nazis punish him for his defiance? Possibly, but neither he nor his companion was Jewish and his refusal to play for Germany, claiming an injury, which could have meant little anyway as he was 35 and essentially "finished" by then and the flats he lived in were known to have deffective chimneys. We shall never know! In the summer of 1938, he was hunted down and forced to go into hiding, especially as his partner was a Jewish Italian. They were both found suffocated to death on 23 January 1939: although there was never an official version, there were strong suspicions that the Gestapo had murdered them. Other theories suggest suicide. 

Germany was eliminated in the first round by Switzerland, without being able to benefit from the talents of the Austrian star, who became the target of hate. although there was never an official version, there were strong suspicions that the Gestapo had murdered them. Other theories suggest suicide. But Matthias Sindelar was not forgotten: the funeral of the footballer who said "no" to Nazism drew 15,000 people and, since then, every 23rd January, a tribute has been paid at his grave.