Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, often called the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition that took place from 1955 to 1971. It was created by Ernst Thommen, a vice-president of FIFA, Ottorino Barassi, president of the Italian Football Federation, and Stanley Rous, general secretary of the English Football Association. The idea was to support international trade fairs.

The games were played between teams from cities that hosted trade fairs. In the early years, only cities with trade fairs could join, and each city could only enter one team. For example, London sometimes used players from many different clubs and called their team the London XI.

After 1964, teams could join based on how well they finished in their national leagues. The winner of the competition received a trophy called the Noel Beard Trophy, designed by a cutler.

The Fairs Cup was run by a committee led by some FIFA leaders until 1971, when it was replaced by the UEFA Cup. Although it was a successful competition, UEFA decided it should be managed by UEFA itself to ensure consistent rules and better organization. Even though it was an important historical tournament, neither FIFA nor UEFA officially list the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as a sanctioned competition.

History

The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup started in 1955. It was a football competition to help trade fairs. It ended in 1971. The first competition happened over two seasons. It included cities like Barcelona, Basel, Birmingham, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Vienna, Cologne, Lausanne, Leipzig, London, Milan, and Zagreb. Barcelona and London were the first teams to reach the final. Barcelona won the match.

Later, the rules of the competition changed. Spanish teams, like Barcelona, Valencia CF, and Zaragoza, won many times. After that, English teams such as Leeds United, Newcastle United, and Arsenal also won. In 1971, the Fairs Cup was replaced by the UEFA Cup when new rules were made.

Finals

The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup had exciting finals where teams from different cities played against each other. These matches were important and brought together the best teams from across Europe.

Notes

Trophy play-off match

After the last Fairs Cup in 1970–71, the tournament was replaced by the UEFA Cup. No club had won the trophy forever, so a special match was played to decide who would keep it.

Before the match, the FIFA President Sir Stanley Rous gave special awards to players from FC Barcelona. They won the first Fairs Cup in 1958.

The match was on September 22, 1971. FC Barcelona played against Leeds United. Barcelona won 2–1.

Performances

The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a football competition for clubs in Europe. It happened between 1955 and 1971. The cup was made to help promote international trade fairs.

Source: rsssf.com