If the British Empire matched a selection of Europe
A. de Segonzac | 15/12/1937

The football critic Ivan Sharpe echoes in the columns a rumor which has been circulating in London for some time and which, in all probability, is not unfounded.

FIFA, according to our colleague, noting that all the best continental teams have, to date, been beaten by England in London, would have proposed to the Football Association a grandiose project: to oppose Great Britain — England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales —, that is a European selection made up of the best players from Central Europe (Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Italy) and Western Europe (France, Germany, Holland, Belgium).

Such a match, in short Great Britain against the rest of Europe, played in England would be a huge success and our colleague recognizes that the 150.000 seats at Hampden Park Stadium, in Glasgow, would be insufficient to contain the crowd who would like to attend this meeting.

Nothing suggests, unfortunately, that Football Association will accept such a proposal, admitting that it has been made. We do know, however, that the organizers of the Glasgow exhibition in 1938 were eager to organize a major football tournament on this occasion.

The English clubs did not respond favorably to their proposals. To cope with the failure of the latter, the Committee had considered inviting continental teams. But the exhibition entitled The British Empire, the Scottish traditionalists refused to consider such a possibility. The attraction of a meeting as fantastic as Great Britain against the rest of Europe could perhaps overcome their resistance.

Our colleague had fun designing a British team made up of fit men at the moment. Here it is:

Dawson (Scotland); Anderson (Scotland), Cummings (Scotland); Crayston (England), Cullis (England), Brown (Scotland); Matthews (England), Walker (Scotland), Drake (England); Jones (Wales) or Doherty (Ireland), Bastin (England).

The British Empire.

Admit, it looks great!

In the same article, Ivan Sharpe, who has followed almost all of England's major international matches on the continent, assesses their worth, not on the form of this season, but on that of the last ten years, in the manner next:

1. Austria; 2. Italy; 3. Hungary; 4. Germany; 5. Czechoslovakia; 6. France; 7. Spain.

This is enough to fuel the sporting controversy in Europe for at least several days!