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The British, the railways and Uruguayan football |
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To tie in with the 2010 World Cup the Uruguayan daily El País has been delving into the history of "the beautiful game" in Uruguay. On 12th June they published an article about Leonard Crossley, who arrived in Montevideo in 1906 to work in the offices of the "Ferrocarril Central del Uruguay" as assistant to the "Administrador General". The young man was very excited to find that the company had a football team, Peñarol. He had played in the second division in London and would have gone on to play for Everton in the first division if only he had been taller. "That is the reason I am in America, sir, the fact that I am ten centimetres too short", he explained.
He offered his services as goalkeeper and was added to the team as a substitute. The following year Ceferino Camacho, the team captain, gave him a chance to show his extraordinary skill and he became a most valued member of the team, not only because of his innovative style of playing and his amazing technique but also because of his bravery, his charming personality and his gentlemanly manner, both on and off the pitch.
Crossley eventually became treasurer of Peñarol and was one of the founders of the "Colegio de Árbitros". This key figure in the development of Uruguayan football died in 1958. Click here to read the article in El País: http://www.elpais.com.uy/100612/predit-494837/editorial/el-ingles-con-diez-centimetros-de-menos
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