After applying so many times (1938, 1942, 1962 and 1970) for hosting the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA committee in a congress gathered in London finally gave Argentina the OK to held the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup in 1978. A controversial fact surrounding the 1978 World Cup was that Argentina had suffered a military coup only two years before the cup. Because of this, some countries, most notably the Netherlands, considered publicly whether they should participate in the cup. Allegations that Dutch star Johan Cruijff refused to participate because of political convictions were refuted by him 30 years later. Argentinean fans also remember the absence of Diego Maradona. Back then, Argentinean Coach Menotti thought “the 10” was not experienced enough to play and Omar Larrosa played in his place. Nevertheless, Argentina claimed the cup and this win was the first World Cup title for Argentina who became the fifth team to be both hosts and world champions. Argentina featuring Mario Kempes defeated The Netherlands 3-1.