This was the first Olympic football tournament where all the medalists were communist countries, with Yugoslavia and Bulgaria took silver and bronze respectively.

The tendency of Eastern bloc countries to provide state-funding for their athletes put Western amateurs at a significant disadvantage.

Bulgaria led Great Britain 3–1 at half-time, when ratings from HMS Newcastle vaulted the fence and exhorted the team to show more grit, after which they were peacefully escorted off the field.

The Indians defeated Australia 4–2 with a hat trick by centre forward Neville D'Souza, the first by an Asian in the Olympics.

Sir Stanley Rous respected their decision either way, although in the end, the Indians decided to wear boots.

Yugoslavia were playing Red Star Belgrade's Dragoslav Šekularac in this tournament; he would feature in the 1960 European Nations' Cup final again versus the USSR.