WORLD CHRONICLES (1910-1930) – 2

NORTH AFRICA

During the early 1910’s there was a steadily increasing number of international friendlies and friendly (inofficial) tournament between clubs in Europe. These were usually played on weekends, with seldom more than four teams participating, with one, two or three them coming from abroad. None of these tournaments, however, had much staying power at the international stage. On the contrary, the number of international matches dropped sharply when World War I broke out in 1914. The first international football competition held in Europe after World War I was the Triangular Army Competition, although this was open only to army select teams. The first edition (1919) was won by Belgium, with Great Britain and France coming in second and third. During World War I, selection matches were played between Belgian and British army sides both of which also fielded some international players.

 During the 1910’s and thereafter,North Africawas a European colony deep down into the Sahara (Sahel). To the northeast, Egypt and the Sudan were ruled by Great Britain; Libya, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were occupied by Italy; and the sprawling French colony extended from the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Guinea, including Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco in the north, and French West Africa to the south comprised the entire Sahara from Mauritania to Chad. To the northwest, the Río de Oro region (Western Sahara), the Canary Islands off the Moroccan/West Saharan shore and the African promontory at the Strait of Gibraltar from Tánger to Melilla were claimed by Spain, and the Cape Verde Islands off the Senegalese shore by Portugal.

 Europe’s colonial powers in North and West Africa – Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal – imposed their culture, and their soldiers and merchants gradually also introduced their sports, notably football. By the time World War I broke out, football had made the swiftest progress in Egypt around the Suez Canal, Cairo and Alexandria. After the war, however, football advanced faster in the French Mediterranean colonies advanced faster, as France organised the Challenge Louis-Rivet, an “international” tournament for the regional champions from Tunisia and Morocco as well as the Algerian cities Algiers, Oran and Constantine. This tournament was held every year starting 1921, and soon came to be known as North African Championship. The Algerian clubs were a dominant force in French North Africa.

SOUTH AMERICA – URUGUAY

 In South America, the top clubs from Buenos Aires and Montevideo contested the Copa de Honorevery year since 1905. The trophy had been donated by the liqueur company Cusenier. The final, which always was played in Montevideo, was contested by two finalist clubs, one each from Buenos Aires and Montevideo, who qualified for the final after winning the preliminary qualification in both metropolis‘. No teams from Argentina took part in 1914, however, so that the Montevideo final on December 6, 1914, whose winner would have qualified for the Copa de Honor, already was the final proper. Below are shown the Copa de Honorfinals played during the 1910’s.

Club Nacional de Football Montevideo: Back, f. l. t. r. Pascual Somma, José Vanzino, Pedro Olivieri, Carlos Scarone, Arturo De Vecchi, Abdón Porta, Alfredo Foglino, Francisco Castellino, Santiago Demarchi,; Front, f. l. t. r. Pablo Dacal, Ángel Romano, José Brachi, Manuel Lázaro.

 Another, parallel international competition, the Copa de Competencia, was being contested by the top Argentine and Uruguayan clubs ever since 1900. This also was the most important international club competition worldwide during the 1910’s. The first stage was played simultaneously in knockout format three different zones: Rosario, Buenos Aires (both Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay), each zone including the surrounding province towns. In the second stage, the two Buenos Aires finalists played away matches against the Rosario and Montevideo winners. These were referred to “international semi-finals”, although a match had a national (Argentinean) character. The two winners then contested the “international final”, which again could be all-Argentine. This final also was always played in Buenos Aires. Below are shown the Copa de Competencia finals played during the 1910’s:

 A third bilateral club competition was instituted during the 1910’s: the Copa Río de la Plata, also named Campeonato Rioplatense, whose trophy – donated by Dr. Ricardo C. Aldao – was contested each year by the national champions from Argentina and Uruguay. At first this competition also was known as Copa Ricardo Aldao, after its originator, who in 1912-1914 and 1918-1919 was the president of two rival Argentinean football associations. After an abortive attempt in 1913, this international ccompetition was held every year beginning with 1916. Below are shown the finals played during the 1910’s:

 The final was only played the next year since in South America the championships season followed the calendar year and the national champion was only determined towards the end of the year. The list of winners of the first three international club competitions in South America, it becomes evident that during the 1910’s the top clubs in Uruguay were far better than those in Argentina.