Wikipedia says some writers believe Viv Richards played international football for Antigua and Barbuda, in qualifying matches for the 1974 World Cup. However, he does not appear in recorded line-ups for these matches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viv_Richards
I have tried every way I know how to confirm or deny this factoid, but so far I have had no luck. Some say he may have been on the bench for the matches, but still been on the team, hence he wasn't listed in the line-ups. Others say it is just a myth.
I would love for anyone to be able to finally set my mind at ease.
Being part of a national football or cricket squad is amazing enough. If he could have done both it would be extraordinary.
Message Board Archives
Did Viv Richards play World Cup football?
2019-11-08 03:14:19
2019-11-08 03:27:31
In reply to Xavier
Don't know if Viv played but I know his brother definitely played for Antigua.
2019-11-08 03:43:18
In reply to Xavier
i think i read somewhere he played the qualifiers
not the wc 
2019-11-08 05:25:20
In reply to doosra
I think WC qualifiers still count. A truly remarkable athlete. I would love to know for sure what the truth is though.
2019-11-08 08:22:43
In reply to Xavier
In order to get an answer to your question I invite you to read the following:
Viv Richards played for Antigua and Barbuda at football (in the qualifiers only) and West Indies at cricket. Well actually he played for Antigua and Barbuda in a qualifying round of the CONCACAF championship, which is in turn the qualifier to get into the World Cup of 1974.
2019-11-08 13:04:22
In reply to Xavier
Being part of a national football or cricket squad is amazing enough
Botham played 4th Division in England, would be a higher standard than playing for Antigua, a Trini guy played both cricket and football for TT, maybe he was Corneil!
2019-11-08 15:29:52
Richie Richardson also played football for Antigua. Was a decent midfielder
2019-11-08 17:31:07
In reply to camos
Keith Boyce played football for Bim as a goal keeper.
2019-11-08 18:18:43
In reply to tc1
I believe Michael Findlay represented St Vincent as a wicket-keeper in cricket and as a goal keeper in soccer.
2019-11-08 19:00:34
In reply to Xavier
Did Viv Richards play World Cup football?
Maybe dem tallking bout the Bajan Dale Richards.
Oops, sorry. Bajans don't play World Cup Football.
2019-11-08 19:37:39
I believe Lara, Yorke and Latapy played for the same T&T U 14 national football team back in the day
2019-11-08 21:14:28
Richard Austin played cricket and football for his national team
2019-11-08 21:47:58
In reply to Coldlikeice
he played football at Arnett Gardens, don't remember him playing for Ja, Morgan the goalkeeper from Boys Town was a spinner for Jamaica, I also think JK Holt may have played both games at the national level.
2019-11-08 23:43:40
Used to be not so uncommon way back in the day
Alvin Corneal, Willie Rodriguez, Clive Pantin, Gerry Gomez are just some who represented T&T, and in Rodriguez and Gomez cases, West Indies, in both cricket and football.
2019-11-11 05:02:41
In reply to Fivestar
Thank you for your information. Do you have a source that I can quote for this information?
It would make sense that he played in qualifiers, but not in the World Cup team itself. That would explain why he did not appear in the team line-ups.
Edited to add: I think I can see you got your information from Quora (https://www.quora.com/Who-is-the-player-in-history-who-played-in-both-the-football-and-the-cricket-World-Cups)
That is useful, but they still don't quote a definitive source.
2019-11-11 05:09:21
I appreciate the help everyone has offered me. It has been brought to my attention that if he did play World Cup Football (even in qualifiers) he did not mention it in any of his three autobiographies.
That alone makes it sound a bit fishy.
2019-11-11 05:29:49
In reply to imusic
You say that it wasn't uncommon to play footaball for T&T as well as cricket, but there is a difference between playing for a team, and playing in a World Cup team. If Viv Richards was able to do both I think he would be in a fairly exclusive club.
I don't think any of the ones you mentioned actually played in a World Cup (although I could be wrong).
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