THE URUGUAYANS IN MADRID
— 11/05/1923 —

Laguarda: We are delighted by the reception that the Spanish sports fans have given us. For two reasons we wanted to stay in the Peninsula for a while before appearing at the Paris Olympics. One, which concerns the imperative ties of blood and language. The other consisted of the convenience of our boys training and adapting to the European climate.

— What impression have your recent encounters with the teams from the North produced among the Uruguayan players?

Laguarda: The fact that they have been victorious so far has not only not made them conceited, but has made them reflect on the characteristics of the Spanish game. We did not imagine that football was so widespread in Spain or that it had so much audience. Individually, the players from the Peninsula seem unbeatable to me, although I believe that excessive harshness harms the action and the results of the matches, which, although it shows liveliness, results in a less intelligent game. Often, their body distracts them from the ball. This explains why players often get injured due to luck. In our countries, where this does not happen, a team of eleven players finishes the championship with the same formation as the one at the beginning. The Spanish footballers who have caught our attention so far are Pasarin (Vigo), Acedo (Bilbao) and Otero (Coruna).

» In all the matches we seemed to notice the verve and skill of the defenders.

— Was it weird for the Uruguayan national team to play in the characteristics of our fields?

Laguarda: They are good although narrow, even the one at the Metropolitan Stadium. Most of them also lack grass. Without this requirement, it is prohibited in Uruguay to enable any field for football. The low-ball game of the South Americans demands it this way. They rarely throw the ball high. It is likely that the narrowness of your fields will cause some difficulties for Spanish footballers when they play away, because they will get infinitely more tired.

— How many games will you have before leaving for Paris?

Laguarda:Firmly, it is not agreed except today's. With the same team, a second meeting had been scheduled for the 15th. In any case, on the 16th we will leave for Paris. In June we will be back to play with Real Sociedad, from San Sebastián, and in Barcelona, where we will embark for Italy. We will play in Genoa and Milan, and again in the Peninsula, we will go to Seville and, finally, to Vigo, to compete in a single match, with Club Celta, for a cup donated by the Galician colony of Buenos Aires.

Finally, we request from our interlocutor some information regarding the increase in football in South America and the organization of this trip to Europe for the Uruguayan section.

Laguarda: Football is the most popular of all sports there and the only one that has not received official protection. The private initiative has done everything. In the file of the Uruguayan Association (the mother institution, so to speak, of football in that nation), there are thousands and thousands of players listed. Almost all the Leagues in the interior of the country are affiliated with this Association and most of those that operate in the capital itself, such as the National, University and Banking Leagues. The names of Zamora and other famous Spanish players are familiar to all Uruguay fans.

» The representative team of our country has won three times out of the six that comprise the South American championship (Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina), the last in December 1923. We believe that this gives us sufficient category to participate in the Olympiad.

» The expenses for this excursion, which will last six months, are estimated at around fifty thousand gold pesos. It will be borne by the Uruguayan Association, which we will help with the collections we obtain in Europe.