where did the nickname red devils come from
Belgium national football team On 11 October 1900, Beerschot AC honorary president Jorge Díaz announced that Antwerp would host a series of challenge matches between Europe's best football teams.[15] After some organisational problems, on 28 April 1901, Beerschot's pitch hosted its first tournament, in which a Belgian A-squad and a Dutch B-team contested the Coupe Vanden Abeele.[16][17] Belgium won,[18] and beat the Netherlands in all three follow-up games;[19] FIFA does not recognise these results because Belgium fielded some English players.[19] On 1 May 1904, the Belgians played their first official game, against France at the Stade du Vivier d'Oie in Uccle; their draw left the Évence Coppée Trophy unclaimed.[20] Twenty days later, the football boards of both countries were among the seven FIFA founders.[21][22] At that time, the Belgian squad was chosen by a committee drawn from the country's six or seven major clubs.[23] In 1906, the national team players received the nickname Red Devils because of their red jerseys,[24] and four years later, Scottish ex-footballer William Maxwell replaced the UBSSA committee as their manager.[25] From 1912, UBSSA governed football only and was renamed UBSFA.[D][1][13] During the Great War, the national team only played unrecognised friendlies, with games in and against France.[26][27]