“When the French team takes the field against Uruguay, and later against Mexico, history will be lurking. In 1924 and 1928 the Uruguayans famously took the Olympic football competition by storm, leaving a lot of Europeans wondering, “Where did these guys come from?” One of the starters in that Uruguay team was José Leandro Andrade, the descendent of slaves, who was feted as a star in Paris. Uruguay’s victories inspired Frenchman Jules Rimet – former coach, World War I veteran, mediocre but passionate footballer and head of FIFA – to create the first World Cup. That tournament was held in 1930 in Uruguay. The kick-off game, on July 13th, was a France-Mexico match-up, which France won.
Eighty years later, the French team that has travelled to South Africa is in some ways itself a Latin American team. . . .” Read article @ Pilgrimages Blog
