Thomas Balvay
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John Balway [1] (b. 1888 - d. 1945) was a French football referee in the 1920s and 1930s and was one of the four European referees who eventually participated in the first FIFA World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay.
There are multiple versions of his name. The French Football Federation record that his name is 'Georges Balvay'. [2]
Balway had been an international referee as far back as 1922 [3], had twice refereed the French Cup final (in 1926 and 1928). (Note the French Football Federation record that his name is Georges Balvay). [4]
He travelled to Uruguay on the 'Conte Verde', the ocean liner, that took Jules Rimet, the French, Belgian and Romanian teams to the first World Cup. [5], [6]
