From left to right: Alexey Dantas (Vice-President of Public Relations for Fluminense); Ricardo Calcado (Exeter City representative in Brazil) with the 1914 ball; Fred (Brazil and Fluminense striker) with commemorative Exeter City 1914 tshirt; Eric de Menezes (Exeter City representative in Brazil) with a Brazil/Exeter scarf

Exeter City to play a Brazilian side in commemorative match

Exeter City has announced an historic commemorative match against Fluminense for 2014.

"Our club would like to formally pay tribute to the President and his board of Fluminense for the respect and friendship they have shown to our club." says Julian Tagg

The club announced this afternoon, "It is with pleasure and pride that Exeter City Football Club can announce that we will be returning to Brazil in 2014 to play a commemorative fixture against Fluminense FC at the historic Estádio das Laranjeiras."

The trip to Rio de Janeiro will mark the centenary of the club’s South American tour and the formation of the Brazilian national team, and the fixture against our friends at Fluminense will take place at the same venue where the Brazilian national team played their first ever match against the touring Exeter City side a century before in 1914.

The fixture will take place at Estádio das Laranjeiras, the home of Fluminense, on Sunday 20th July 2014, just one week after the 2014 FIFA World Cup final is held five miles away at the Maracanã. As well as being hosted at the original venue, the two sides will also kick-off using the original ball from a century ago and will be wearing replica kits of the colours worn in the original fixture.

Julian Tagg later explained that the Exeter squad will travel at no cost to the club or Trust, and will be the guests of Fluminese who will be "taking care of the costs"