How Cornish miners brought football to Mexico

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Inside the 25,000-seater Estadio Hidalgo in East Central Mexico, fans unfurl a tifo featuring a miner. In one hand, he wields a pickaxe and the other a pastry with a distinctly crimped edge. He's flanked by two flags, each the same - black with a white cross. To anyone with a knowledge of the United Kingdom's southernmost county, this figure is instantly recognisable as being from Cornwall. CF Pachuca, widely recognised as Mexico's very first football club, are paying tribute to their roots, and a transatlantic connection that starts back in 1824. Not By The Playbook's Henry Cowling has been investigating the role Cornish miners played in Mexico's footballing story. Photo: A tifo of a Cornish miner is unfurled at the Estadio Hidalgo, home of CF Pachuca. (Credit: Eduardo Hernandez)