Sporting Witness
Sporting Witness
When Diana Ross missed a penalty at the World Cup
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November 17, 2022
9 minutes
Available for over a year
In 1994, the USA hosted the FIFA World Cup for the first time. The choice of host nation was a controversial one because, at that time, the US didn't have an active professional football league. Alan Rothenberg was the man in charge of organising the competition. He decided to book Motown legend, Diana Ross, to headline the opening ceremony in Chicago. Her penalty miss in front of 67,000 fans became an iconic moment in World Cup history. Alan has been sharing his memories of the tournament with Matt Pintus.
(Photo: Diana Ross performs at the World Cup opening ceremony. Credit: Getty Images)