When World War I was declared in 1914, it had a negative effect on association football; in some countries competitions were suspended and players signed up to fight, resulting in the deaths of many players. Frederick Wall, Secretary of the Football Association, famously implied Jimmy Hogan was a traitor for spending the duration of World War I in Europe. Competition United Kingdom English club Harrogate Town were to play their first ever match on 5 September 1914, but the match was cancelled due to the outbreak of the war. Between 1915 and 1919 competitive football was suspended in England. Many players signed up to fight in the war and as a result many teams were depleted, and fielded guest players instead. The Football League and FA Cup were suspended and in their place regional league competitions were set up; appearances in these tournaments do not count in players' official records. League football did continue in Scotland with the aim of maintaining morale, however the Scottish Cup was not held for five years. Switzerland Even though the Swiss Football League was not suspended, some 5,800 footballers – out of a total of 8,500 – signed up to fight. However, many of the pitches were destroyed – out of a total of had been turned into potato fields. After the outbreak of war in 1914, the Swiss national side did not compete again until 1920. Englishmen on the Continent British players and trainers who were in contract with German professional clubs were among Allied civilians interned at Ruhleben in Berlin. Sports played a major role in the lives of the detainees. Among them were several former professional footballers, including three former England internationals, Fred Pentland, Samuel Wolstenholme and Steve Bloomer; a Scotland international, John Cameron; a German international, Edwin Dutton; John Brearley, once of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur and Fred Spiksley. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was another enemy Central Power. Jimmy Hogan who had briefly coached Amateure SV between 1911–12, returned to Vienna to coach the Austrian national team in 1914. Christmas truce The Christmas truce, was a series of brief unofficial cessations of hostilities occurring on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day of 1914 between German and British or French troops in World War I, particularly that between British and German troops stationed along the Western Front. During the truce, a game of football was played between the British and German soldiers. Fighting