Exeter City’s history is packed with momentous moments but surely none as iconic as on Tuesday 21 July 1914 when the club were Brazil’s first ever opponents.
It is a remarkable story on the cusp of World War One. The Grecians had been chosen by the FA to tour Argentina that summer and made the three week voyage to South America. What an amazing trip for the team of mainly northern working class lads plus the two local goalkeepers Dick Pym and Reg Loram.
The ship docked in Rio de Janiero on its way to Buenos Aires and discussions took place about the possibility of games in Brazil. Michael McGahey, Chairman of Exeter City, who had accompanied the tour party, led the talks with local football officials. The outcome was a programme of three games when City were on their way home from Argentina.
Exeter played eight games in Argentina, winning six, drawing one and losing one. So the players were already fatigued when arriving back in Rio. And there was to be no let up with games on 18, 19 and 21 July – all at Fluminense’s Laranjeiras Stadium.
Posters promoting the matches emphasised that City were a ‘team of professionals’ – a status not yet achieved by Brazilian footballers.
The Grecians started their Brazil leg with a 3-0 win against Rio English (six of whose players were from the Rio Cricket Club. In a nod to this, City played the Cricket Club on their Centenary tour in 2014). This was followed up by a 5-3 victory against Rio de Janeiro the following day.
And so to the big one on 21 July. Brazil were thinking ahead to their first ever international – a game against Argentina in September. This was the perfect chance to bring players from Sao Paulo together with ones from Rio to form the first ever national team. Brazil, now five times World Cup winners, were starting their journey against Exeter City.
The match caught the imagination of locals and over 12,000 crammed into the ground. One local newspaper ‘O Estado’ described the excitement. “From early on, the stands at Fluminense’s ground began to fill with numerous families belonging to the social elite, eagerly awaiting the important football match scheduled for today.
‘Surrounding the pitch, a big crowd pressed up against the wire fence which encloses the ground. There was a constant stream of spectators pouring out of trams and cars. Long before the start, there were no more seats to be had in the stands; many went up onto the roof of the main stand until that too was full’.
There was support for Exeter in the form of crew members of HMS Glasgow. They had caused great interest at the Rio English game with their ‘fine and curious chants’ and ‘great, enthusiastic and noisy cheering’.
City lined up with Reg Loram in goal. The farmer’s boy from Alphington had come into the side for the Rio games following an injury to Dick Pym. The Brazil match was to be Reg’s final first team appearance although he stayed for many years as a reserve and then trainer.
The full Grecian team was: Loram, Fort, Strettle, Rigby, Lagan, Harding, Whittaker, Pratt, Hunter, Lovett and Goodwin.
Despite the publication of erroneous score lines over the years – several publications state the game finished 3-3 – the actual result was 2-0 to Brazil with goals from Gomes and Osman.
At the centenary match in 2014 City fans visiting the Fluminense Museum, where a whole room is dedicated to the game, enjoyed meeting the grandson of Osman, continuing a century old link.
It was a physical game with Brazil’s first ever mixed race player Friedenreich sustaining a head injury after a shoulder charge. By all accounts the City players were frustrated by interpretations of the laws which meant that their usual more robust play was not allowed. At one point two players, Fort and Lagan, left the field in protest and had to be persuaded to return.
The Brazil goals were met with wild enthusiasm by the crowd. O Estado reported ‘The crowd’s fervour was indescribable....there was praise for the correct and masterful way in which the Brazilians had withstood every attempt by the professionals to beat them’.
It was a victory which helped the pride and consolidation of a new nation and laid the foundations of a world football superpower. For Exeter City it was a game too far but cemented a unique place in football heritage.
- For a full account of the Brazil match and the South American tour see ‘Have you ever played Brazil?’ by Aidan Hamilton.
- A new display on Exeter City’s links with Brazil including memorabilia from the tour is now on show in the Exeter City Football Club Museum at St James Park.