1930 FIFA World Cup French entered at the personal intervention of Rimet, but neither France's star defender Manuel Anatol nor the team's regular coach Gaston Barreau could be persuaded to make the trip. The Belgians participated at the instigation of German-Belgian FIFA vice-president Rodolphe Seeldrayers. The Romanians boarded the SS "Conte Verde" at Genoa, the French were picked up at Villefranche-sur-Mer on 21 June 1930; and the Belgians embarked at Barcelona. The "Conte Verde" carried Rimet, the trophy and the three designated European referees: the Belgians Jean Langenus and Henri Christophe, along with Thomas Balway, a Parisian who may have been English. The Brazilian
1930 in Argentine football 1930 in Argentine football 1930 saw the Argentine league restructured as a league of 36 teams, playing one another once. The eventual champions were Boca Juniors. Following the disruption of the 1929 season by mass abandonment of games, the second half of the 1930 season was marred in a similar way. This trend was halted by the inception of the professional era in 1931. The Argentina national team reached the final of the first FIFA World Cup where they lost to Uruguay. The teams occupying the bottom two positions of the league were relegated. Argentino del Sud set one of