A new exhibition and website telling the remarkable story of Exeter City FC's tour to South America in 1914 was launched last night.
The exhibition marks the start of a programme of events commemorating the centenary of the game between the Grecians and the newly formed Brazilian national team which has since gone on to win the World Cup five times.
The club's St James Park ground hosted the launch of'Have you ever played Brazil?',a joint project which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Curator Kiera Gould said: "For me the most interesting thing about this story is extraordinary events happening to ordinary people. Professional footballers weren't the celebrities they are today, they didn't earn what they earn today and through a twist of fate this most amazing thing happened to them and it's the birth of this legacy that goes on and on."
The exhibition will tour to further venues in the city during 2014, including Exeter University, where it will coincide with performances of 'The Day We Played Brazil', an original play by Nick Stimson which opens on July 17.
A new book by Aidan Hamilton will also be published by Kingfisher Press revealing in-depth historical research into the events of the tour, in collaboration with Exeter City Supporters Trust.
In January 1914, the minutes of a Argentine Football Association Council meeting record that their contact in London, a Mr Grundy, should be instructed to meet with the FA to organise an opportunity for a professional English team to visit Argentina and play a series of matches the following June.
As a result of these instructions, invitations were extended to Tottenham Hotspur and to Exeter City, a typical team in a mid-table position of the Southern League. While Spurs declined the offer of repeating the journey they had made in 1909, the Grecians' manager Arthur Chadwick was keen to offer his team a change of scenery, while also acquiring additional funds for the club.
Setting sail from Southampton on May 22, the team included long-serving players Dick Pym and Jimmy Rigby alongside new signings William Hunter, Augustus Harding and Fred Goodwin.
When their ship docked in Rio de Janeiro, a meeting was arranged between Exeter chairman Michael McGahey and Harry Robinson, a British expatriate player who was a well known member of the local Paysandu team.
For years, Brazilian officials had attempted to arrange matches against a visiting professional team but with no success. However, Robinson's polite manner and his brother's regular attendance at St James Park back in Devon swayed McGahey to accept the proposed addition of extra games to be played on the return leg of their journey.
But knowing that the unfamiliar conditions of South America would be tiring for his squad, he declined to travel further to São Paolo – the other major centre for football in Brazil.
While the Grecians continued on their journey to Buenos Aires, the Rio press began to suggest that São Paolo players should be invited to take part in the matches against Exeter, in preparation for sending a national team to Argentina later in the year for the Julio Roca Cup competition.
Acting on this suggestion, the date of the final match was changed to allow four players – Lagreca, Rubens Salles, Friedenreich and Formiga – to combine forces with Rio players in the first match of the national team – the Brasileiros XI.
The game took place at the Estádio de Laranjeiras, home of the Fluminense club, on July 21, 1914. Despite the capacity of the ground being a mere 6,000, it is estimated that 10,000 spectators attended the match, many climbing onto the roof of the stands.
Despite achieving six wins in eight games in Argentina, and further success against the Inglezes do Rio and Rio de Janeiro teams, Exeter lost the match against Brazil 2-0.
Exeter City departed from Rio on board the Royal Mail Steam Packet the Alcantara bound for Southampton, but their homecoming journey was disrupted by news of war in Europe, and the ship was redirected to Liverpool after warning shots from the French Navy.
The 1914-15 season began as normal, but as the war progressed footballers came under criticism for continuing to play sports instead of joining the armed forces. Amid the catastrophic events of the next few years, the story of the Grecians' summer tour fell to the back of people's minds, and the significance of its final match was largely forgotten.
In 2014, Brazil hosts the World Cup finals competition to mark the 100th anniversary of their first match – their match against Exeter City.
