The Évence Coppée Trophy () was a one-off competition comprising a single association football match in 1904 between Belgium and France. Held at the

Stade du Vivier d'Oie The Stade du Vivier d'Oie (Dutch: ''De Ganzenvijver'', English translation: ''Goose Pond Stadium'') is a stadium in the Belgian community of Uccle in the Brussels Capital Region. The stadium lies in the quarter Vivier d'Oie (Dutch: Diesdelle) at ...

in Uccle, Belgium, the match ended in a 3–3 draw. The trophy was named after Évence Coppée, the Belgian patron who organised the match to promote Franco-Belgian friendship. Because the game ended in a tie, the trophy itself was not awarded.

Historical context

The Évence Coppée Trophy marked the official debut of the French and Belgian national football teams and was also the first match between two independent European countries. It was the third official international football game in

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

, after the games between Austria and Hungary, and Hungary and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. It was the third official game between the sides of two independent countries, after matches between Argentina and Uruguay in 1902 and 1903. Twenty days after the match, Belgium, France and five other European football associations founded the international association football federation,

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

Pre-match

Both teams were selected by their National Football Association (with Belgian chairman

Édouard de Laveleye Baron Édouard-Émile-Albert de Laveleye (Ghent, 22 October 1854-Brussels, 23 November 1938) was a Belgian mining engineer, financier and writer. He was son of Émile de Laveleye (1822-1892), a famed economist. He made several investment trips ...

and French chairman

Robert Guérin Robert Guérin (28 June 1876 – 19 March 1952) was a French journalist, and the 1st President and one of the founders of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). A journalist with ''Le Matin'' newspaper, Guérin was acti ...

) rather than by a national manager. Because of transportation difficulties and army enrollment, the French delegation was decimated. Since 1 May was not yet considered an international holiday, the French players had to ask for a day off from their employees. At least two French players ( Louis Mesnier and Fernand Canelle) left their country without permission from their employers, and in French reports these two players were referred to using the respective pseudonyms "Didi" and "Fernand". The French tactics were described as follows. ''"France play in a classical 2-3-5 formation: two backs, the two half-wingers (G. Bilot and especially C. Bilot) are defensive and hold the opponent's wingers, Davy is half-center. Finally, there are the five forwards. The 'exteriors' Mesnier and Filez who make a break, the 'interiors' are Royet (who is relay runner) and Cyprès and the powerful center ( Garnier), who is also the

playmaker In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...

."'' France played in a white jersey with two rings from the

Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques The Union of French Athletic Sports Societies (french: Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques (USFSA)) was a former sports governing body in France. During the 1890s and early 1900s it organised numerous sports including athleti ...

(USFS), the former sports governing body in France, blue shorts, and red socks.

The match

Post-match

Despite scoring twice in this match, the Belgian striker

Georges Quéritet Georges Quéritet was a Belgian international football player. Having been striker in Royal Football Club de Liège and later in Racing Club de Bruxelles, he also played the first official match of the Belgium national team against France ...

was not selected again for the national side. The Belgian goalkeeper Alfred Verdyck later became the secretary-general of the Belgian FA.

, the deputy of the French Football Association, became the first president of

twenty days after this match.

All Franco-Belgian encounters

Belgium and France have sustained a long-lasting rivalry since this first fixture, with 74 official matches played over more than a century. The full record between the two countries is as follows: :''*Including two friendly matches at minor tournaments: the Évence Coppée Trophy in 1904 (3–3), and a 1–0 victory for France at the King Hassan II Tournament in 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evence Coppee Trophy 1903–04 in Belgian football 1903–04 in French football European football trophies and awards Belgium national football team matches France national football team matches May 1904 sports events