Thomas Balvay Thomas Balvay Thomas Balvay (2 February 1888 – 15 July 1945) was a football referee in the 1920s and 1930s and one of four European referees who participated in the first FIFA World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay. He was the only match official from France at the tournament. He had been an international referee since 1922 and twice refereed the Coupe de France (in 1926 and 1928). He travelled to Uruguay on the SS "Conte Verde", which also took Jules Rimet and the French, Belgian, Romanian and Brazilian teams to the first World Cup; picking up the teams en
Football in South America to Uruguay yet do not forget. Additionally wanted it this way express his loyalty to Jules Rimet, the initiator of the first edition in 1930. Argentina decided after his failed candidacy for a boycott. Uruguay again decided not to participate. Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico and Suriname withdrew from the qualifier, which Brazil and Cuba were assured of a place in the main tournament. Cuba, a country that had not mixed a few times in the world of football in 1938, surprised by maintaining the strong Romanian team to a 3-3 tie. In the second game against the Romanians