India, May 28 -- The image of Mario Kempes with his long hair flying in Buenos Aires during the final against Netherlands remains one of the defining pictures of the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Kempes scored a brace in a 3-1 victory at the Estadio Monumental as Argentina defeated Netherlands after extra time in a dramatic final. For many, the World Cup is part of their football folklore, but for others, nearly five decades later, the victory also carries an uncomfortable shadow. Argentina's first World Cup title arrived during one of the darkest periods in the country's history.

The tournament was treated as propaganda as the country, which was also the host, was under the control of a brutal military dictatorship led by Jorge Rafael Videla, wh...