Argentina at the FIFA World Cup playmaker position was instead filled by Mario Kempes, who ended up becoming the first Argentinian to win the Golden Ball in addition to being the tournament's top scorer with 6 goals. The Dutch side was missing a superstar of their own: Johann Cruyff did not join the 1978 World Cup squads due to the aftermath of a kidnapping attempt which occurred in 1977. He only disclosed this information 30 years later. The closely contested match was influenced by a hostile atmosphere and ended with the Dutch players refusing to attend the award ceremony after Argentina grabbed the title in extra
2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup April 2015 to qualify for the World Cup, with Madagascar defeating Senegal in the final on the next day to win the tournament. The AFC Beach Soccer Championship took place in Doha, Qatar on 23–28 March 2015. A total of 14 teams took part in the tournament (Palestine entered but withdrew). The top three teams qualified for the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Oman and Japan won their respective semi-finals on 27 March 2015 to qualify for the World Cup. On the next day, Iran won the third place match to also book a place in the World Cup,