The United Arab Emirates were one of the many curiosities of Italia ’90 but had more than earned their spot at the tournament after a gruelling qualification campaign. We discuss their journey to the finals, today’s match with the imperious Germans, and the overall experience when they got to Italy including the famous tale of the Rolls Royce gifts. In addition, we talk about Czechoslovakia who advanced through the group phase at the expense of neighbours Austria, and we debate whether Italia ’90 could be described as being the first ‘modern’ World Cup.HOST: Mark GodfreyGUESTS: Ali Khaled (director, The Lights of Rome), Pete Davies (All Played Out/One Night in Turin), David Goldblatt (The Ball is Round, The Game of Our Lives)MUSIC: UV Protection