Life in La Liga by Rab McWilliam

Author:Rab McWilliam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

I have referred earlier in this book to the ‘Fairs Cup’, and you may be wondering what exactly was this oddly named competition, what was its origin and what became of it.

Originally known as The International Industries Fairs Inter-Cities Cup (you can see why they shortened it), the Fairs Cup was the grandparent of today’s omnivorous Europa League, although the Fairs Cup was never in its existence sanctioned by UEFA.

Under the organisers’ stated aim of ‘juxtaposing commerce and football’ the tournament was open to all European cities which hosted an international trade fair. As there were sixty such fairs held annually in the continent, the Cup was potentially both inclusive and, importantly, highly profitable.

The Fairs Cup, initially set up as a league system followed by knockouts, kicked off in June 1955, three months before the European Cup, and was the first trans-European football tournament. (The Mitropa and Latin Cups don’t count, in this respect, as they were geographically limited to particular areas within Europe.) A London XI, featuring various players including Fulham’s Johnny Haynes and Arsenal’s Cliff Horton, played the first match against a Basel XI (in reality, FC Basel) in Switzerland, and won 5–0, Horton claiming a hat-trick.

A Birmingham (Birmingham City FC) XI was eliminated by Barcelona in a play-off, and Barcelona, in the second leg of the final, beat London 6–0, thereby becoming the first holders of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. It was also the first European trophy in what is now FC Barcelona’s bulging trophy room or, more likely, rooms. The fact that the tournament’s first final was played almost three years after the commencement of the competition did not seem to bother the organisers.

In 1960 Barcelona also won the second Fairs Cup, which had now dispensed with a league stage. The number of potential entrants increased in 1961/62 when three teams were permitted to join from each European country. From then until 1967, Spanish clubs were dominant, featured Valencia (twice) and Real Zaragoza as winners, and then, in 1966, Barcelona won for the third time, beating Chelsea 5–0 in a final play-off.

The tournament was won by English clubs from 1968 to 1971, as Spanish clubs were busy competing in La Liga and more ‘glamorous’ competitions. From season 1971/72, the Fairs Cup became the UEFA Cup and finally came under the control of UEFA.

The Fairs Cup may have enjoyed a short, rather truncated existence, but it was the first donkey on the beach. It also, in 1966, introduced to football competitions the ‘away goals’ rule and, in 1970, the penalty shoot-out, the latter not making a World Cup appearance until Argentina in 1978.

If for no other reasons than these innovations, the tournament deserves credit. After all, fair’s fair.

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