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Sporting Witness: When Diana Ross missed a penalty at the World Cup

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When Diana Ross missed a penalty at the World Cup

17/11/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - Sporting Witness, When Diana Ross missed a penalty at the World Cup

Diana Ross' iconic penalty miss at the 1994 World Cup

The story of Diana Ross' iconic penalty miss at the opening ceremony of the 1994 World Cup. The tournament's organiser, Alan Rothenberg shares his memories with Matt Pintus.

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)

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