Swan who flew off to Bogota without telling wife or club
Matt Davies tells the tale of headstrong Wales and Swansea footballer Roy Paul, whose plan to end his ‘football slavery’by playing abroad came a cropper
It is easily done. We’ve all told our partners we are heading to Blackpool for a few days with mates, when actually we are off to Bogota, Colombia. No? On second thoughts, it does sound a bit far-fetched; a fantastic story, perhaps with tongue firmly in cheek. But it is a true one. Roy Paul, a footballer who appeared for Swansea Town in the pre and post-war years, did just this.
The Ton Pentre-born defender headed off to South America to seek his footballing fortune, without telling his wife or club. He returned 10 days later with his tail between his legs.
Yet he would move to Manchester City for a record fee on his return and captain the Welsh national side. How did all this come about? One of 12 children, Paul left school at 15 to become a miner, but was rescued by the outbreak of war and his footballing talents.
He was spotted by Swansea Town while playing for Ton Boys’ Club and signed with the Vetch side.
The onset of conflict meant Paul returned to the mines. In 1940, he volunteered to join the Marines, serving as a physical training sergeant,.
While he continued to represent the club in wartime leagues, he effectively lost six years of his career to the war. In the Marines he was known as a “pocket Hercules” on the pitch. Based in Devon, he also served in India. He was back in south Wales when peace in Europe was struck.
He made 159 appearances for Swansea over four years, gaining a reputation as a no-nonsense defender who was also comfortable in more advanced positions.
He was fiery and a strong voice in the dressing room, and was known as one of the “Swansea Babes” of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
In his book Proud to be a Swan, Geraint H Jenkins says: “Although Paul was not universally liked in the dressing room, he was a natural leader, and of his skill and spirit there was no doubt.”
The Swansea dressing room was packed with strong personalities, not least the manager, Ulsterman William McCandless and his lieutenants Frank Barson (bad cop) and Joe Sykes (good cop).
Paul flourished on the pitch; impressive against Arsenal in an FA Cup match, the Gunners made an offer for him, but the club stood firm.
However he was unhappy with his financial lot and, with team-mate Trevor Ford, railed against what they called “football slavery”.
Even by today’s standards of contract stand-offs, Swansea chiefs were left seething by what Paul did next.
He, along with seven others who had received offers, including English stars George Mountford and Neil Franklin, flew to Bogota, Colombia.
Colombian club Millonarios had offered Paul a £3,000 signing-on fee and a monthly wage of £150 – far more than the maximum £12 a week contract British clubs were allowed to offer. They were also not required to pay Swansea a transfer fee, as they were not affiliated with Fifa.
But Paul’s stay in South America was brief.
In his autobiography, A Red Dragon of Wales, he wrote about the conditions of Colombian football – pitches surrounded by barbed wire put him in mind of “a concentration camp, or maybe the monkeyhouse in the zoo”.
He returned after 10 days, having not played a match.
Jenkins said: “For Paul the expedition turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. No-one was more surprised to hear of his defection than his unsuspecting wife, who had been led to believe that her beloved spouse was in Blackpool.”
It begs the question who was angrier – Paul’s employers or his other half.
His wife didn’t have the option of putting him on the transfer list, however – unlike his club.
“Paul returned home in dudgeon and disgrace. Seething with rage at his disloyalty, McCandless made his feelings known to the board. Paul was duly transferred to Manchester City for £18,000,” said Mr Jenkins.
Paul went on to be a legend at Manchester, skippering the side to much success.
He led out his side in the 1956 FA Cup final at Wembley. The City goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann, played on in that game, despite suffering a broken neck during the match. They won 3-1 against Birmingham City.
Paul passed away in 2002 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, but his family association with Swansea continues. His nephew is the legendary Alan Curtis, who has his own Swansea City stories to tell.
But none more controversial than his headstrong uncle’s jaunt to Bogota.